An Unbreakable Bond Strengthens
by Chickie.Babe1
Summary: 2nd in the Series - Alicia Evans is going into her second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After coming face-to-face with Lord Voldemort the year before, she doesn't believe much can disrupt the year at the Great Castle. As she tries out for the Quidditch team and she and Hermione battle to be the smartest in the year, she finds out how wrong the assumption was.
1. Chapter 1

**Second in the Unbreakable Bond Series - Chamber of Secrets.**

 **Disclaimer I don't own Harry potter as you all should know very well so this disclaimer is therefore useless.**

* * *

Chapter 1:

Noel hooted and Alicia Evans looked up at the window. The black owl was sitting there, a few letters in her beak and another parcel tied to her leg. Alicia beamed as she moved to release the owl of the weight. Two letters were within her beak, both with Alicia's name on it.

It had been almost two months since Alicia had returned to the orphanage, her last year being spent at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Alicia herself being a surprisingly gifted witch. Now, there were only four weeks left until the next year began and Alicia was ecstatic for that date to arrive.

Today however was another reason to enjoy summer. It was Alicia's birthday, July 31st. And though early in the morning currently, she already had plans on how to spend it.

Alicia ripped open one of the letters and smiled at the familiar scrawl of her best friend, Hermione Granger.

 _Dear Alicia,_

 _Happy Birthday!_

 _I'm so glad you sent Noel just before hand, I was hoping you'd get this right on time. I'm hoping it did anyway._

 _Just a month left until we're back on the train, I cannot wait to see you!_

 _By the way, did you get through Professor McGonagall's transfiguration homework? I found it slightly tricky but got there in the end._

 _I heard from Ron the other day, he was thinking of inviting you round to his place, you know like he suggested. But he think's it's not right unless Harry goes too, how is he? Has he got any of our letters yet? I find it strange that he hasn't received any. He does believe you when you tell him we've written right? I hope so._

 _Anyway, have a wonderful birthday! Hope you get spoiled and I can't wait to see you soon! I hope you received Harry's birthday present also, as he isn't receiving the mail I decided to send it to you instead. Let me know when/if it gets there._

 _Love Hermione._

Alicia grinned and looked at the package from Noel as the owl had returned to her cage for some water and pellets. The package however had Alicia's name on it, not Harry's. Alicia frowned, had Hermione not sent the parcel with Noel?

Alicia put the letter down on her desk and opened the other one. This one however was from Ronald Weasley, Harry's best friend. The four were like the perfect quartet; Hermione was the brains and had the most common sense. Harry was brave and courageous (and to add to it, famous). Ron was sarcastic and determined, and sometimes a little frightful. And Alicia was brave, witty and talented.

Alicia opened Ron's letter, his handwriting was much messier then Hermione's was, but then again, everything was perfect and organised with Hermione.

 _Hey Alicia,_

 _Happy Birthday! Wow Twelve, can you believe it's been almost a year since I met you and Harry at the station? Mom wanted to send you your present but I decided to wait until you come over before school begins, I didn't need it getting lost just in case. I had to argue a little with her, I hope that's okay…? You are coming over before school right?_

 _Have you heard from Harry? What's he up to now? I keep wondering if I should send him a parcel, but like the letters it might get lost… what do you think? Should I send it to you?_

 _I spoke to Hermione and told her about you both coming to visit, but without an answer to Harry, it might be hard, is Hedwig still caged up?_

 _You said you sent a letter from Harry through with Noel? I never got one, just your's. It's like the letters involving Harry are getting lost somewhere along the line…_

 _Anyway, I hope you're having a good day and I'll see you soon, we'll talk about you coming down a little closer to September first._

 _From Ron._

Alicia sighed. A lot of letters between her and the two friends had been like this.

For some reason none of Hermione or Ron's letter's had reached Harry. They told her several times the last week or so that they'd sent him letters with Noel, but none of them made it to Alicia's room. Now Hermione's parcel was missing also?

They weren't the only one's, Alicia had received a few letters from Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, and he'd asked why Harry wasn't replying either.

The Dursleys, being the horrible people they were to Harry, had locked his owl, Hedwig, up in her cage. She hadn't been allowed out all summer to Alicia's knowledge, so not only was she not getting any exercise or freedom, but Harry couldn't send any letters to Hermione or Ron. Alicia had informed them all of this, but no one understood why no letters for Harry reached him or Alicia, no matter which owl was being used.

Alicia sat down with some parchment and a quill before answering the two letters.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _Thank you! You organised well as usual Hermione, she got here bright and early in the morning and you letter was the first one to be read!_

 _I did do McGonagall's homework, did you think it was hard? I thought it was okay, but I will admit it took me a bit to finish it._

 _Yeah Ron said the same to me. If I have to, I'll drag Harry from the Dursleys, he'll be happy to leave but they might not willingly let him go, so if you don't hear from me for a while, they've locked me up with him or done something to stop me getting to him._

 _I've warned you, those muggles are awful._

 _Harry's good, last I checked. A little miserable but I've been doing my best. The Dursleys try to keep him from me but, it's a lot harder apparently. I'm too good at avoiding them. He still hasn't received a letter, but he does know you're trying. I've shown him your letters asking me why he hasn't received them so, he does know and he does believe me. He wouldn't give up on you guys that quickly._

 _I did receive a parcel from Noel, but it was for me. I haven't gotten one for Harry. Did you send it with a different owl?_

 _I hope you're good, having a good time and are ready to meet in Diagon Alley to get our books. Honestly Hermione thinking you get to go the next four weeks without seeing me. You're dreaming._

 _Can't wait to see you._

 _Love Alicia_

 _xx_

Alicia folded the letter and printed Hermione's name on the front before she grabbed another parchment to answer Ron.

 _Hey Ron,_

 _Thanks for the birthday wishes. Yes I can believe it's been almost a year after everything that happened in that year. We got into enough trouble to make it unforgettable remember._

 _That's a great idea. Now I can figure out how to repay her for the Christmas present and she can see my face when I open it. It does usually delight parents to see kids enjoy their gifts right?_

 _I am coming over before school begins and I'm dragging Harry with me. I told Hermione this, if you don't hear from me in a few days, I've probably been locked up with Harry. It wouldn't surprise me if the Dursleys did such a thing. I'm not letting him suffer in that place without me around, it'd probably drive me mad._

 _Other then his family, he's good. The Dursleys locked up his trunk and wand so he's been coming here to do his homework, no I haven't let him copy everything… just some things. And as long as you understand what you're writing, yes I'll help you when I come down also._

 _Don't send him a parcel. The last thing we need is for it to get lost. You can give it to him with me when I drag his ass down to you! I'll have to send Noel if I break him out cause, yeah, Hedwig's still in jail._

 _Could someone be intercepting our letters? Maybe I should try getting Harry to write in one of my letters, that way the person intercepting wont know it's from him…? What do you think?_

 _I'll talk to you soon, and let me know when I'm coming, that way I can organise transport, I informed Ms Bane but without dates there's not much more I can do, she does have an entire orphanage of kids to look after after all._

 _Talk to you soon._

 _Love Alicia._

 _xx_

Alicia gave both letters to Noel who, after a few minutes took off into the sky again. Alicia opened the parcel and found it was from Hagrid. She grinned and read his letter, wishing her happy birthday and explaining he'd left Harry's for when he returned. Like Ron, he didn't want it getting lost.

Alicia removed the wrapping from the parcel to find an picture album. She opened it, but currently, the book was empty.

Alicia smiled. She remembered how Hagrid had given Harry a leather bound book at the end of their last semester. In it, had been a heap of photo's of Harry's parents.

Alicia's parents.

She sighed.

At the end of later year, right after they finished their exams, Alicia and Harry and come face to face, with Lord Voldemort.

Eleven years ago Voldemort had gone to the house of the Potters with the intention of killing their son. Lily Potter refused to step aside and put herself between Voldemort and her children.

Voldemort killed her.

Within the cot were a pair of twin babies and Voldemort had attempted to kill the boy first. The spell had rebounded and the boy survived with nothing but a scar. The girl had received a mark as well, though not as fatal and not as well known.

Alicia sighed, at the end of the year, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, had admitted to her that she was Harry's twin, Alicia Potter, not Alicia Evans. The world didn't know she was alive, and Dumbledore decided it was best to keep it this way.

"Don't see how, Voldemort knows I'm alive…" Alicia muttered as she stared at the empty photo album before her. _Then again, his followers don't._

Alicia put the album on her desk where Hermione's parcel lay, already opened. She had decided to send the parcel through muggle mail. It stood out, Alicia knew immediately who it was from as Harry didn't need the mail to give her things and Ron didn't know what Muggle mail was.

Hermione had set Alicia a quidditch book. Quidditch, the sport of wizards. Played in the air, on broomsticks, with six hoops and four balls. Alicia was all about joining the school's team when they went back. All she needed was a broom, it was on her list of things to get when she went to Diagon Alley to get her school supplies.

Alicia turned to the door when she heard furious knocking and put all her wizardry things, like her quill and a couple of books that were lying about, in her trunk, closing that before opening the door.

Alex and Portia stood there grinning.

"Happy Birthday!" and the two leapt on Alicia. The three hit the floor from the sudden weight.

"Thanks." Alicia laughed as the two got off her.

"We bought you a gift." Alex admitted, crossing her legs and sitting up. Portia held out a parcel. Alicia grinned and accepted it, cast them both a look before opening it.

"It's a complete mail package." Alex said

"So you don't have an excuse not to write to us this time." Portia snapped but smiled

"And we also got you a couple bits and bobs for school." Alex said "As we haven't seen any as of yet and decided you needed some."

Alicia rolled her lip guiltily and looked at them happy for their gifts, but sad at the same time.

"Guys, it's great, thanks…" Alex's smile dropped into a sigh

"But…?" she expected

"We don't send letters like you guys do…" Alicia admitted "It's really hard to explain, I can't tell you without telling you what the school specialises in. And it's against the law to do that." Alicia rolled her eyes

"What Law?"

"The school's law…" Alicia sighed and hung her head

"Bet you'd tell Harry," Portia smirked

"I don't need to, he goes to the same school." Alicia said "Look I really want to tell you but…"

"Does it have something to do with the owl that keeps coming into your room?" Alex wondered curiously

"Or the fact that you have to have you're own room?" Portia added

"Ms Bane knows doesn't she?" Alex prodded

"I had to tell her, she's my caretaker." Alicia sighed "And I need my own room because the school's so privet."

"And the owl?"

"We're allowed pets and owls are standard. Along with cats… and toads…" she said slowly

"Toads?" Alex questioned

"They're old fashioned, no one uses them anymore." Alicia waved the thought away. Well other then Neville Longbottom, the forgetful one within Alicia's year. He had a lot of trouble with his classes and the other houses loved picking on him.

"What kind of school has owls?" Portia questioned

"This one does." Alicia shrugged "But you never know, now that Ms Bane knows I can send the letters to her and she can pass them on. Of course, we'd have to take that up with her." Alicia added quickly.

"Will you ever be able to tell us?" Portia sighed

"Maybe if I become president." Alicia nodded before grinning, the girls chuckling with her.

Alicia followed the two girls down to breakfast. Everyone wished her a happy birthday as she passed. Last year no one had seen her for the entire day as she'd been out preparing for her first year at Hogwarts.

Ms Bane gave her a special birthday breakfast, as she always did and everyone wished her a good day.

After she had opened a few presents Alicia left the orphanage and ran straight to Privet Drive. Today wasn't only her birthday, but her brother, Harry's, as well.

However, as perusal within the Dursley house, when Alicia arrived, she heard Uncle Vernon shouting.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon "I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"

His voice could be heard from the end of the street. Alicia found it humorous that a family so obsessed with normality could be the weirdest ones on the block. And not because of Harry.

Alicia walked towards the front door, but stopped by the hedge before walking up the path. Uncle Vernon walked out the front door and paused when he saw her.

"Good morning Mr Dursley." she smiled. As the Dursley's didn't like the look of Alicia just as much as Harry, she took the opportunity that they couldn't control her to her advantage. Seeing them cringe from her politeness gave her a slight smile.

"Harry home?"

"No." Vernon said, trying to keep his eyes off Alicia

"Oh?" her smile dropped and Vernon jumped back slightly as he made his way to his expensive car. He didn't answer as he got in and drove away. Alicia smirked as she watched the car turn the corner. It stopped at the end of Privet Drive and she knew he was watching her. So she waved before walking towards the house.

She knocked and the door was opened by Aunt Petunia, who's smile vanished the second she saw Alicia. Petunia always had the same look when she saw Alicia, it was realisation, understanding, confusion. Alicia knew what Aunt Petunia saw when she looked at her, it was Lily, Petunia's sister. Alicia's mother. Other then her hair, Alicia was her splitting image.

"Good Morning Mrs Dursley." Alicia smiled "Is Harry here?"

"Uh…" Alicia caught sight of the Harry who appeared at the doorway.

"Harry!" Alicia jogged passed Aunt Petunia and flung her arms around Harry's neck.

"Happy Birthday!" Alicia beamed, making sure Aunt Petunia heard her loud and clear.

"Alicia," she pulled away from him "You too."

"Thanks." she smiled "I haven't bought your gift yet, but when we go to DIagon Alley I'm going to buy you an entire broom set kit if I have to." she grinned

"Oh…"

"Don't deny me." Alicia snapped at him before grinning. "I have to go into the broomstick shop anyway to get my first broom." she got excited and smirked as Petunia, who was still by the door, grimaced at every unnatural thing. A shop for broomsticks was one of them.

Alicia turned to Aunt Petunia who was still standing with the door open.

"Oh you've got that dinner tonight, don't you!" she fake gasped. Harry had been complaining that Uncle Vernon couldn't stop talking about this dinner party. He was talking to a construction worker and hoping to sell a heap of drills to them. That's what Vernon Dursley did, he sold drills.

"I don't want to be in your way, so…" She took Harry's hand and began to drag him out of the house "Is there a particular time he needs to be home by?" Alicia asked Petunia. She stuttered over her words and Harry was grinning at how easily Alicia sent the Dursleys into speechlessness. All of them.

"It starts at 7:30." Harry said for Petunia

"Alright, no later then 7:29." Alicia grinned, Aunt Petunia's eyes seemed to bulge somewhere at the closeness Alicia was allowing to her husbands important evening.

"See you later Aunt Petunia." Alicia said. Petunia looked at her shocked as Alicia bragged Harry from the house. Alicia had restrained from addressing the Dursleys as family, but every now and then she let it slip, especially to Petunia who Alicia suspected already had an idea who she was.

"I haven't gotten tired of how you do that." Harry smirked

"Neither have I, don't worry. Imagine how they'll act when they learn I'm their Niece." Alicia chuckled "That's gonna be an excellent conversation."

"So, anything from Hermione and Ron?" Harry asked

"Well, I got letters from them both this morning and Hermione said she'd sent your parcel to me, but I didn't receive one. I asked her if she sent it with Noel but Noel's still taking the letters to them. Ron thinks the letters are getting lost somewhere along the way and I suggested someone might be intercepting them." Alicia explained

"Who?" Harry questioned

"I don't know." Alicia shook her head "Someone who wants to make your life miserable again apparently. They have to be close though, I sent one to you with Noel not long after Hermione and Ron told me you weren't replying. You never got it, so it has to be someone close to home."

"But there's no one else close to home…?" Harry thought

"Maybe it's someone we've never met." Alicia shrugged

"Why would they want to mess with me?" Harry questioned

"Don't know, but everyone knows you remember. It could be anyone." Harry sighed and nodded at this acknowledgement.

"On a better note, Ron's talking about inviting us down to his place before school begins and Mrs Weasley has both our birthday presents. Bet it's more homemade fudge, I can't wait! Ron convinced her not to send them to us, incase yours get's lost and if I'm going down there anyway, then he thinks I should open it in front of her. Hagrid's the same by the way, is going to give you your present when you get to Hogwarts." Alicia grinned

"I also told Ron he can copy some of my homework, so we'll definitely be going."

"You mean you." Harry sighed

"Harry." Alicia stopped walking and stood in front of him "I'm not leaving you here without me and with the Dursleys. I will drag you, your trunk and Hedwig out of the house if I have to and bring my wand out and everything to threaten the Dursleys with." she said, her face stern as Professor McGonagall's, they're transfiguration teacher, deputy principle and head of Harry and Alicia's house at Hogwarts, Gryffindor.

"I don't care how it happens, it's happening." she said in a 'that's final' tone. "I'm not going without you either." she smiled as they reached a park. It was where Alicia had met Harry for the second time, the first being in a zoo.

Harry was looking around before he suddenly stopped. Alicia turned to him confused to find Harry staring at a hedge. She doubled back to stand beside him before gapping. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.

"You see that?" Harry whispered

"Uhuh." Alicia nodded, unable to form words. As far as the twins knew, there wasn't anyone magical within their vicinity who could cause a hedge to have eyes.

The two watched and the eyes stared back before a child's laughter filled the air. The eyes blinked and were gone.

"What…?"

"I don't know…" Alicia muttered. "But I think someone's watching us…"

"Why?"

"Why are letters failing to get to you?" Alicia shrugged "Something weird's going on."

The two put the eyes out of their minds and spent the entire day mucking around, not doing anything productive, not talking about Ron, or Hermione, or the Dursleys. The two spent the day with just themselves.

Alicia, who had a little bit of pocket money from the orphanage, bought them ice creams and a few packet of lollies on top of that. Harry as usual tried to argue but Alicia made a heavy point that siblings usually weren't nice enough to treat one another and if he wasn't lucky that could eventually happen to him.

"Just accept it while before it never happens again." she rolled her eyes.

Alicia, despite what she'd said to Aunt Petunia had Harry back to his house on Privet Drive by seven o'clock.

"Ms Bane will kill me if I'm late for dinner. Especially as it's supposed to be for me." she smirked "You could come you know."

"I'm late enough as it it." Harry sighed. Alicia huffed

"One day, you're going to have a proper birthday dinner. And a proper birthday surrounded by people who actually love you." she glared at the house before them "Not these people who can't even acknowledge you properly." Harry looked at the house and nodded.

Alicia pulled her twin into a hug.

"See you later." she muttered.

And Alicia made her way back to the orphanage.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: 

Alicia went to the Dursleys house the next day, she knocked on the door like usual. But no one answered.

She knocked.

And knocked.

She grew frustrated and turned to see Uncle Vernon's car in the driveway. They were home.

She turned, and knocked on the door continuously until finally it opened, and Uncle Vernon stood there, purple faced as usual.

"Will you go away!"

"Where's Harry?!" Alicia snapped

"He's not going anywhere." Vernon said angrily

"What have you done?!" she ground her teeth

"Getting angry wont help. We know you can't do magic outside of school." he sneered with a grin.

"You touch Harry any more then you have and I promise I'll break that rule! I don't care if I get expelled." She said angrily. Uncle Vernon just grinned and slammed the door in her face.

Alicia ground her teeth and moved to the side of the house, walking around until she spotted Harry's window.

Her mouth dropped.

There were bars on Harry's window! They had locked him into his bedroom!

Alicia balled her fist and ground her teeth before leaving Privet Drive. She slammed the door shut on her bedroom and snatched up a piece of parchment and her quill.

 _Ron,_

 _We have an emergency! The bloody Dursleys have put bars on Harry's bedroom window and locked him in! When I demanded to see him Harry's uncle slammed the door in my face!_

 _As an underaged wizard, I can't do anything. Is there something your parents can do? We've got to get him out of there now!_

 _Send me back a reply ASAP!_

 _Alicia_

Alicia folded up the parchment and moved to Noel's cage where she was sleeping.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I need you." Alicia nudged her until she woke up with an annoyed hoot.

"I know, but this is important. I need you to go straight to Ron's with this and bring back his reply. Quickly!" Alicia said as the owl took her letter in it's beak and Alicia took it over to her window.

"Hurry!" she whispered before the black bird took off into the bright blue sky.

"Alicia?" Alex knocked on the door and Alicia opened it

"What's with the slamming?" Portia wondered worried

"The Dursleys." she sneered

"Harry's family?" Alex wondered and Alicia nodded

"They've locked him in his room and put bars on his window." she explained. The girls blinked.

"Wow, I know you said they were mean but…"

"This is too far!"

"Go to the police?" Alex suggested

"I've asked for help, hopefully we'll get him out."

"We?"

"A long story." Alicia admitted before she moved from her room and down to the kitchen for some lunch.

Alicia spent her entire day in her room finishing her homework. She didn't have much left other then History of Magic and potions. She wrote yet another History of Magic essay and for potions she had to answer questions with detailed answers.

Noel returned with a letter from Ron that evening after dinner. Alicia took it gladly and gave Noel some treats for her fast delivery.

 _Alicia,_

 _They what!? Bars?!_

 _Could that have something with the official warning Harry got?_

 _I wont even dare go to mom and dad for help, they would never use magic against muggles, they'd try and talk to them and get them to lighten up but… from what you've said about them, I doubt that'll work._

 _I don't know what I can do to help get him out without them. Percy would never help. He's hoping to be made Head Boy for Hogwarts and is all about getting into the Ministry of Magic, this'd taint his career._

 _Any ideas?_

 _Ron._

Official warning? What warning? Why would Harry need a warning?

Alicia thought. Ron was the only magic family she could count on and therefore her only option… how could they help?

Ron and his twin brothers, Fred and George where the only ones who could help…

"Fred and George…" Alicia muttered. Hogwarts pranksters.

Alicia smirked and put her quill to her paper.

 _Ron._

 _Fred and George. Ask them, keep it from your parents if necessary because talking will not help under any circumstance. It could maybe make it worse._

 _Fred and George will come up with an excellent plan to break him out. I'd trust any rescue mission in their hands when it involves mischief. You'd have to either come during a week day when Uncle Vernon's not home, Aunt Petunia and Dudley would just run. Or come at night when they're asleep as we have to get Harry packed to get him out. I can't get anywhere close to him to tell him to do so and as he isn't receiving letters, that options out too._

 _Send me an owl as soon as you have a plan in motion. And what official warning? I didn't know anything about that?_

 _Oh and one more thing. You come and get me first before we break Harry out! I'm not missing out or being left behind. Plus I can help._

 _Talk to the twins, and give Noel something yummy for her travels, she deserves it from both sides._

 _Alicia._

Alicia, grinning, gave Noel the letter.

"Take a rest when you get there sweetie. You deserve it." she whispered and Noel nipped at her ear before spreading her wings and taking off into the night, disappearing instantly with her back feathers.

Alicia was getting excited, she had different breakout ideas flashing through her mind. How they were going to break Harry out of a home in a muggle way, without getting caught was going to be interesting. Of course, if the twins were involved they'd get out easily and then get in trouble at a later date.

* * *

"Aren't you going to see Harry?" Alex wondered

"I can't. He's locked up remember." Alicia sighed

"Still?" Portia said shocked, her eyes widening

"It's been one day. Yes, still. The Dursleys wont give him up." _Especially after finding out he wont blast out with magic._ Alicia muttered

It was mid day and Alicia had been sitting reading for the morning, waiting for a reply from Ron still. She didn't expect one straight away, but the end of the week was the deadline. Noel hadn't returned either and she hoped she was sitting down and getting a rest. As Alicia was the only one with an owl — the Weasley's family owl Errol had delivered about two letters to Alicia and crashed into something every time he arrived and left so she'd decided to let Noel deliver his letters — she was getting quite a work out, flying from Alicia's to Hermione's and Ron's.

Noel returned later that night, hooting quietly as Alicia sat at her desk, finishing the last of her potions homework. However she abandoned it immediately to take the letter waiting in Noel's beak.

"Oh thank you Noel!" Alicia kissed the birds head and promised to grab the the owl something special after she read the letter.

 _Alicia,_

 _Brilliant! Fred and George will get Harry out no problem. We spent today planning in their room. It'll have to be at night so that Mom and Dad don't catch us. If it involves muggles dad probably wont mind, but Mom… we might be in a lot of trouble._

 _We'll come tomorrow night, it's too late to come now. We'll come to you first and pick up your trunk and all then get Harry, seeing as you know where his house is. What's your address? We'll come find it somewhere around midnight. I hope you're caretakers lets you go?_

 _Dad said Harry got a warning from the Ministry about using underage magic!_

 _Send me an owl back before midday tomorrow._

 _Ron._

Alicia grinned, she knew the twins were a brilliant idea. She ran downstairs to find Ms Bane in her office, luckily still awake.

"What are you still doing awake?" Ms Bane questioned her

"Ms Bane, is it alright if some friends come and get me tomorrow night and I spend the rest of the holidays there? They'll take me to get my school supplies and to Kings Cross on September 1st." Alicia said, not bothering to beat around the bush. "We'll be taking Harry with us also."

Ms Bane looked at her surprised, rethinking the words before she pursed her lips.

"When tomorrow?"

"Around midnight." Alicia admitted "I don't expect you to stay up with me, I don't want to keep anyone awake." she said "Plus this way you don't need to worry about leaving anyone in charge here." she pointed to the roof where all the other orphans were sleeping.

Ms Bane sighed.

"Alright, but I want a letter as soon as you get there." Ms Bane ordered

"I'll send Noel the second I touch down." Alicia smiled "Oh and about that, I think Alex and Portia are going to ask if they can send letters to me through you. I can't tell them anything after all so they can't know the letters are sent by owl." Alicia sighed "I just thought I'd give you a heads up."

Ms Bane smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Alicia." Alicia grinned before turning to leave the office.

"Good night Ms Bane. Thank you!" she said before closing the door and returning to her room.

 _Ron,_

 _He what?! Harry would never do that! Hogwarts is his only escape out of the Dursleys', he'd never give that up for anything! Wait… That must be why they put bars on his window! Something happened! The Dursleys are terrified of what Harry can do._

 _We're all ago here. I'll be waiting outside the orphanage around midnight with my trunk. Don't bother sending Noel back here with a reply unless something goes wrong. I'll keep an eye on Harry tomorrow and make sure he's still in his room in the house. We don't want to turn up and find him gone (not that that'll happen, but just in case)._

 _Be careful with your parents and when you arrive, make sure you're quiet, I don't want anyone to see what ever transport you're bringing._

 _Speaking of which, how are you getting here? I hope you have a good plan and I hope you can fit both mine and Harry's trunk and Hedwig and Noel's cages, along with the five of us (I'm assuming the twins are coming also)._

 _Also don't forget to keep out of sight from other muggles on your way! I'm assuming what ever you're doing isn't going to be legal in one of the two worlds so be careful!_

 _See you soon!_

 _Alicia._

She scribbled her address down at the bottom and sealed the envelope.

"One last trip sweetie. I'll meet you at Ron's." Alicia smiled to Noel, kissing her head and the owl nipped her ear before taking off out of the orphanage window one last time.

Alicia jumped into bed, turning off the lights and was asleep in no time, knowing that this time tomorrow, she was halfway towards Hogwarts. It had become more of a home then the orphanage already. Six more years didn't seem like long enough at the castle.

* * *

Alicia was up and packed the next morning. She went through her trunk several times, made sure all her now completed homework was there as well as her robes, books, clothes, and everything else she owned. She had her Gringotts key on a silver chain, making a necklace so that she couldn't loose it. She made sure Noel's cage was cleaned out, the water and food empty for the time being and that her wand was easily accessible for later.

When herself was all packed she walked towards Privet Drive. When she knocked on the door of number four Aunt Petunia answered, her face falling immediately.

"Tell me, is Harry still under house arrest?" she asked straight up, for once dropping the formalities.

"He's not coming out." Petunia hissed

"So you're gonna starve him for the rest of his life? I mean you can't send him to a real school. He'd find someway of getting to Hogwarts, and if he can't then there's no reason to stay bound by the underaged magic rule." Alicia warned. Petunia glanced into the house towards her pig of a son, Dudley, who was probably eating, as usual and then to the stairs were Harry was.

"I just wanted to make sure he was still at home and hadn't broken any rules yet." Alicia smiled "I'd hate for him to get into any trouble."

Petunia pursed her lips

"Oh and a bit of warning. If the headmaster of our school finds out about this he wont hesitate to give you a firm talking to about how you've treated Harry. And he is allowed to use magic, he's a very talented wizard also." Alicia said "Just thought I'd let you know. See you in a few days." and Alicia turned to leave, leaving her secret aunt staring after her with shock as she walked down the street.

* * *

Alicia heaved her trunk down the stairs quietly at eleven that night. She'd doubled checked yet again that she hadn't forgotten anything and was trying to keep the thump the trunk made as it descended each stair as quiet as possible.

She paused again as the trunk thumped. She'd tried carrying the entire trunk, but it was just too heavy, and without magic or waking someone up to help, there wasn't anyway to be as silent as a mouse.

Alicia paused after each thump, being as slow as necessary. Eventually she managed to get the trunk to the front door before returning up to her room for her carry bag and Noel's cage. She lugged all three to the footpath and sat on her trunk waiting. It's had taken her the majority of the hour to get from the end of the second floor to the front door, like she'd hoped.

Everything was silent in the night air. Not a single sound was head. Alicia found it slightly eery, but, she'd been through worse then just a night filled street.

 _And I'm only twelve…_ she muttered with a sigh.

Finally Alicia heard the sound of a car. She looked up and down the street, rising from her seat but there were no headlights through the dark. Alicia listened and heard the motor get louder and louder as it approached but still, no car come down the street.

Alicia froze as she pinpointed the direction of the sound and the headlight's caught her eye.

The car was in the sky.

Her mouth dropped open as she watched the car come closer and closer. And then, an old turquoise car landed in front of her. Her mouth stayed open as Ron looked at her from the back seat and Fred and George were grinning from the front.

"Good evening." Fred said

"Your chariot miss." George tried to look posh.

"Well this answers that question." Alicia muttered staring at the car. "I'm guessing you didn't jinx it." she said strongly

"Course not. Dad did." Ron grinned.

"Awesome." Alicia nodded as the boot of the car opened and Alicia pulled her trunk around to it. Fred got out of the car and helped her heave it into the trunk and then put Noel's cage in after it as Alicia got in the car next to Ron.

"How you been?"

"Good. Until the Dursley's locked Harry up." she grumbled "I can't wait till I'm of age." she said as the twins grinned at her from the front seat.

"Good idea by the way, deciding to call on us." Fred said as he started up the car.

"Well who else is capable of breaking Harry out?" Alicia said with a roll of her eyes. "The Weasley twins are the only ones worth calling."

"A devoted customer." George nodded to Fred as Fred hit the accelerator and the car flew up into the air, pushing Alicia back in her seat.

"So, which house is Harry's?" Ron asked. Alicia clipped her seat belt on before she turned and opened the door. Ron quickly grabbed her arm, worried she'd fall out, but Alicia just scanned the houses below them.

"There!" she pointed seeing Privet drive and counting the houses along. "That one." George and Fred both glanced at her before George looked out the window and directed Fred down.

"Go to the back of the house. Harry's is the one with the bars." she said obviously "But you need to be quiet. The last thing we want it so wake up the Dursleys." Fred and George shared a look and Alicia leaned forwards toward them suspiciously

"Can you two manage silence?" she wondered. They looked offended and she raised an eyebrow.

"We'll be right." Fred muttered. Ron and Alicia shared a look that said otherwise.

Fred brought the car down to Harry's window and Alicia opened the door, Ron holding onto one of her arms to keep her falling out while she grabbed the bars and rattled on them. They weren't moving.

Alicia leaned in as close as she could to the window through the bars. Ron holding her as she looked for Harry.

He was sleeping on his bed, but his face looked screwed up in confusion.

Alicia sighed before she reached through the bars for the window. Pinching her fingers a little, she lifted the window up.

"Ron, you got something I can throw at him?" Alicia wondered. Ron raised an eyebrow before looking around.

"Harry!" Alicia hissed, glancing at the door "Harry!" she said a little louder. Harry stirred but didn't wake.

"How's paper?" Ron asked, showing some.

"Rip it up, scrunch it." Alicia instructed as she shook the bars again. "Harry!"

Ron handed her some and Alicia proceeded to throw the paper balls at Harry. Eventually he jumped up, awake.

"Harry!" Alicia said again, causing the boy to whip around to look at her.

"Alicia… what?" Harry got up and walked to the window as Alicia sat back. His mouth fell open as he noticed she was in a flying car. She grinned.

"I brought back up." she smiled and pointed over her shoulder to where Ron was grinning.

"Ron!" Harry breathed. He noticed the twins in the front seat, grinning at him.

"Did you really think we'd let you suffer in here?" Alicia asked

"Yeah, what's been going on? Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —"

"How could you use magic!?" Alicia hissed, cutting Ron off "If you get expelled I am not going to forgive you. Ever! And I can't believe I had to find out from Ron!"

"It wasn't me — and how did he know?"

"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You _know_ we're not supposed to do spells outside school —"

"You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car.

"Isn't it awesome!" Alicia grinned

"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, _we_ didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with —"

Alicia hit him upside the head.

"Didn't you hear him he said he didn't do it." she snapped "Then, who did?" she asked Harry.

"It'll take too long to explain now — look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —"

Alicia had started laughing and Harry stopped as he looked at her.

"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us."

"Really?" Harry asked

"You really thought I wouldn't do anything? I found out about you being locked in here after our birthday and immediately asked Ron for help."

"She's a genius this one." Ron pointed and Alicia just looked proud, taking the compliment.

"But you can't magic me out either —"

"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me. Alicia's idea to bring them."

"I remembered about the magic rule Harry, I wasn't going to allow anything that got anyone in trouble." Alicia rolled her eyes "Hermione would kill me." She then turned to Fred "We need to get these bars off. What's the plan?"

"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Alicia who then gave it to Harry.

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.

"I warned them already." Alicia nodded.

"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back." Alicia shut the door on the car and sat back down as Fred revved the car louder. Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realised how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Ron and Alicia hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom.

When the bars were safely in the back seat with Alicia and Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.

"Get in," Ron said.

"He can't." Alicia admitted as she opened the door again and Alicia moved through the window into the room.

"Why?" Ron asked  
"My Hogwarts stuff — my wand — my broomstick —"

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room —" Alicia turned to look at the twins who grinned

"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry." Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So — we'll get your trunk — you and Alicia grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George.

"Watch out for the bottom stair — it creaks," Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.

"Come on." Alicia ushered

"You organised this?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Alicia asked offended "I wasn't going to leave you locked in here and I wasn't leaving Surrey without you either." Harry grinned.

The two began to dash around Harry's room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.

Alicia stood at the top of the stairs listening to Uncle Vernon as the boys got the trunk to the top of the stairs.

At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry, Alicia and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.

Uncle Vernon coughed again.

"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push —"

Harry, Alicia and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.

"Okay, let's go," George whispered. Harry began to climb into the car after Fred and George before Alicia realised something was missing.

"Hedwig!" she hissed just a the owl gave a loud screech.

Uncle Vernon's thundering voice followed.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!"

"I've forgotten Hedwig!"

"Quick!" Alicia grabbed Hedwig and passed it to Harry who in turn passed it to Ron. Alicia followed Harry onto the chest of draws as Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door — and it crashed open. Alicia and Harry turned to him for a second.

"Go!" Alicia hissed in his ear and Harry continued to climb as Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.

Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and Alicia raised her feet to push Uncle Vernon away, pulling on Harry's leg as the boys pulled as hard as they could.

"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp — Harry was in the car, Alicia scrambled in after him as Uncle Vernon had landed head first into the chest of draws and she slammed the door shut behind her.

"Fred!" Alicia shouted

"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.

Alicia was laughing her head off as Harry opened the window and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.

"See you next summer!" Harry yelled.

The Weasleys roared with laughter, Alicia's only growing and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."

"Yeah the poor baby." Alicia frowned at the owl who chirped and nibbled Alicia's finger as she stuck it through the bars.

George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost.

"So — what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"

"Yeah what's with the magic that you didn't do?" Alicia demanded

Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished.

"A house elf…?" Alicia said slowly, breaking the silence. Harry nodded

"Very fishy," said Fred finally.

"Definitely dodgy," agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think he could," said Harry. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."

He saw Fred and George look at each other.

"What, you think he was lying to me?" said Harry.

"Well," said Fred, "put it this way — house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

"Yes," said Harry, Alicia and Ron together, instantly.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."

"But I don't think Malfoy would send his house elf to warn Harry not to go back. If Malfoy was involved it would have been a lot nastier then what you described Dobby doing." Alicia admitted.

"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry. "Why?"

"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

"Well considering their entire family has been in Slytherin for centuries, that doesn't surprise me." Alicia admitted.

"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf…" said Harry.

"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.

"Sounds like the Malfoys." Alicia rolled her eyes

"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house…"

"Alicia was right for us to come and get you." Ron nodded looking at her

"I usually am about serious shit like that." Alicia grinned, causing the twins to share a look.

"I saw that!" she snapped

"I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. We thought it was Errol's fault at first —" Ron looked at Alicia

"Who's Errol?"

"Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes —"

" _Who_?"

"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front.

"But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him."

"Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he _has_ been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room…. I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge…"

"Anyway," Alicia rolled her eyes, getting back on topic. "Then we tried to use Noel, she's been doing Ron and my deliveries, even Hermione's. But her letters weren't getting through to you either." Alicia sighed. "Even when the letters were sent to me they still didn't come."

"Alicia and I thought…"

"Maybe someone was interfering." Harry nodded "Dobby was stealing them, thought it would make me stay with the Dursleys."

"He was dreaming." Alicia smirked

"You're driving too far west, Fred," George said, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.

"So, does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry.

Alicia chuckled, making the answer rather obvious.

"Er, no," said Ron, "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it."

"If she does I'll take the blame. Say I badgered you and, it was my idea for you to come anyway, that I forced you." Alicia shrugged

"She wont believe that."

"I'll write a few fake letters to prove it." Alicia shrugged, earning a grin from the twins.

"What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?" Harry wondered

"He works in the most boring department," said Ron. "The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

"The _what_?"

"It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house."

"Like the car." Alicia added. Ron rolled his eyes before continuing.

"Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare — Dad was working overtime for weeks."

"What happened?"

"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic — it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office — and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up —"

"But your dad — this car —" Fred laughed.

"Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided _our_ house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."

"Does that mean he'll ask us lots of questions?" Alicia wondered

"Probably." Fred nodded.

"That's the main road," said George, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes… Just as well, it's getting light…"

A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east.

Fred brought the car lower, and a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees became visible.

"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."

"I'm so excited to see a wizarding house." Alicia admitted

"Why?" Ron asked

"Cause I don't live in one. Durr." Alicia rolled her eyes.

Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.

"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry and Alicia looked out for the first time at Ron's house.

It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic, which it probably was. Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, The Burrow. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

"It's not much," said Ron.

"It's _wonderful,_ " said Harry happily.

"It's amazing! I want one!" Alicia beamed

"Really?"

"It's so… homey! Unique." Alicia admitted with a nod.

They got out of the car.

"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, 'Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and Alicia, and no one need ever know we flew the car."

"Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the — at the top —"

"Uh guys," Alicia cut them off, her eyes had been taken from the house to something before it.

Ron had gone a nasty greenish colour, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around.

Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.

" _Ah,_ " said Fred.

"Oh, dear," said George. Alicia took a deep breath in and waited for the explosion that was clearly coming.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.

" _So,_ " she said.

" 'Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to —"

All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.

" _Beds empty! No note! Car gone — could have crashed — out of my mind with worry — did you care? — never, as long as I've lived — you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —_ "

"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have _died,_ you could have been _seen,_ you could have lost your father his _job_ —"

It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry and Alicia, who backed away.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear, Alicia, sweetie," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast."

She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her. Alicia was straight after the women.

"Mrs Weasley, please don't be too harsh on them. I asked them for help." Alicia admitted

"Help?"

"It's a bit of a long story but Harry needed rescuing and Ron was the only one I could turn to. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." she said, putting a sorrow look on her face as the boys followed.

"Alicia dear, don't worry. And if you ever need help again, don't hesitate to ask." Mrs Weasley had stopped and placed her hands on Alicia's shoulders and then her cheek before smiling.

She then turned and continued to the kitchen and Alicia smirked at the boys and held up her thumbs, the four of them looking stunned, the Weasley boys more then Harry.

The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Alicia was taking in every inch of the house as Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. Neither of them had never been in a wizard house before.

The clock on the wall opposite Harry had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like _Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens,_ and _You're late._ Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like _Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking,_ and _One Minute Feasts — It's Magic_! And the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."

Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan.

"Would you like some help Mrs Weasley?" Alicia asked sweetly. The twins were throwing her weird looks at how innocent she could come off as.

"No that's alright dear. You sit down." Mrs Weasley smiled.

Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know _what_ you were thinking of," and " _never_ would have believed it."

"I don't blame _you,_ dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really" (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate), "flying an illegal car halfway across the country — anyone could have seen you —"

She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.

"It was _cloudy,_ Mum!" said Fred.

"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"I didn't know you were going to come and get him." Alicia frowned. "I might not have been so forceful in asking for help then."

"Alicia was nagging us for three days to come and help." Fred pointed

"Don't put the blame on Alicia!" Mrs Weasley snapped

"It's true though." Alicia said. Mrs Weasley seemed to try and ignore Alicia taking the blame as she piled her plate up with breakfast also.

"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.

"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.

"He didn't get more then soup or bread and cheese for meals." Alicia admitted sadly

At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, red-headed figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.

"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."

"Really?" Alicia asked looking after her "Shall I talk to her?" Alicia grinned

"Why you?" George asked, not catching his mother's look

"One I'm a girl, and two," Alicia looked at Harry "I have something that might help." she confessed and Harry frowned at her thoughts. Alicia shrugged and the Weasley boys looked between them confused.

"Maybe then she'll have more courage to talk to you." Alicia smiled to Harry

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all five plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.

" _Blimey,_ I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and —"

"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again —"

"Oh, Mum —"

"And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You can go up to bed, dears," she added to Harry and Alicia. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car —"

"But I did." Alicia added. Her face was forceful and Mrs Weasley sighed "Well I didn't ask them to fly a car I told Fred and George to do something smart but illegal to come get him." she added in a mutter to which Mrs Weasley looked surprised. Alicia smiled.

"He's my family I'm not leaving him to be treated like that." Mrs Weasley smiled "So I'll help the boys." she said quickly, excited now.

"I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming —" Harry agreed looking at Alicia who nodded

"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject —"

And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned.

"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden —"

"Lockheart…?" Alicia muttered surprised "She's reading his books?"

"She's obsessed." Ron muttered. Written across it in fancy gold letters on Mrs Weasley's book were the words _Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests._ There was a big photograph on the front of a very good-looking wizard with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.

"Oh, he is marvellous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book…"

"Mum _fancies_ him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink and Alicia raised her eyebrow with a knowing look. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."

Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry and Alicia behind them. The garden was large, there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting — but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.

"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron as they crossed the lawn.

"Bet they're not nearly as fun." Alicia grinned

"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods…"

There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. " _This_ is a gnome," he said grimly.

"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome.

It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.

"This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't _hurt_ them — you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnomeholes."

Alicia however was grinning and laughter was threatening to abrupt form her mouth as she watched Ron.

He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.

"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."

"You're on!" Alicia decided. She got George to show her how to catch the gnomes and Fred and her threw them.

Alicia smirked and looked at Fred when her's went further.

"Beginners luck." Fred believed

"Good throwing arm." Alicia corrected before she went to find another gnome.

Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off — until —

"Wow, Harry — that must've been fifty feet…"  
The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.  
"See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put."

"They obviously think it's funny to watch their friends get thrown across the field. I'd laugh if someone threw you lot." Alicia admitted

Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched.

"They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here… Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny…"

Just then, the front door slammed.

"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"

They hurried through the garden and back into the house.

Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.

"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned…"

Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.

"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.

"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness…"

"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.

"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it… Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking — they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face… But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe —"

"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"

Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.

"C-cars, Molly, dear?"

"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while _really_ he was enchanting it to make it _fly._ "

Mr. Weasley blinked.

"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if — er — he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth… There's a loophole in the law, you'll find… As long as he wasn't _intending_ to fly the car, the fact that the car _could_ fly wouldn't —"

"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry and Alicia arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!"

"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Alicia who?"

He looked around, saw Alicia and Harry, and jumped.

"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you. And Alicia Evans is it not? Ron's told us so much about —"

"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I — I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that — that was very wrong, boys — very wrong indeed…"

"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog, Alicia chuckled behind her hand at the sight. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom." They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house.

"Oh god I love your house." Alicia muttered looking down the staircase and through every window.

On the third landing, a door stood ajar. They just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.

"Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally —"

"I'll talk to her. Your room is up the stairs yeah?" Alicia asked. Ron nodded "I'll find in a minute." she assured. The boys nodded and continued walking. Alicia turned to the door and knocked.

"Who is it?" came a small voice

"Alicia."

Very slowly the door opened and Ginny peaked out

"It's alright I'm alone." Alicia assured. And Ginny opened the door and smiled at her. "Good morning." Alicia laughed. Ginny blushed and moved aside, offering for Alicia to join her.

"So, what's up?" Alicia asked facing the eleven year old.

"I don't know what to say to him! He's just…"

"You crushing on him Ginny?" Alicia asked grinning. Ginny blushed.

"Well, you know the best way to get to that stage is to start by being a friend." Alicia moved to sit on Ginny's bed. "And running away and hiding wont help."

Ginny sighed and sat next to her

"I know, but I don't know what to say."

"Well, if you see him in the next couple of hours, how about 'Good Morning' or 'How you feeling now?' He was locked up for three days with little food." Alicia admitted

"You could even offer him a 'happy birthday'."

"It was his birthday?" Ginny asked surprised

"Yeah. 31st of July. Same as mine."

"You share the same birthday!?" Ginny asked shocked. Alicia nodded

"Makes remembering easy." she smirked "But Ginny, you can't avoid him. He's going to be staying here for the next month and you're going to the same school. Most probably you'll be in the same house. That leaves you sharing the common room. What are you going to do? Hide in the dormitories?"

Ginny sighed.

"Harry's a nice person, if you feel nervous around him, he'll understand. Some people do. But he'd much prefer if you treated him normally, and not as if he was famous."

"How come?"

"Harry finds it weird when people look at him like he's special. When they say they expect great things from him he… he doesn't know what to say. He'd much rather be treated as a normal person. He's technically the same as a muggle-born, didn't know anything before he got his letter. Imagine if you didn't know anything and were worried of making a mistake? Add on the fact that everyone is watching you make that mistake and it makes you nervous and hate why they're watching." Alicia explained.

Ginny nodded and looked almost guilty.

"Don't look like that. Just treat him like you treat me." she shrugged "I'm usually with Harry so if I'm there it might make it easier."

"Really Alicia? You'll help?" Ginny asked grinning

"Course." Alicia nodded

"Thank you!" Ginny through her arms around Alicia's neck.

"Anytime." Alicia laughed.

Alicia found Ron's room easily. It was up two more flights of stairs from Ginny's and had a door with peeling paint and a small plaque was on it, saying Ronald's room.

Alicia knocked before opening the door. She stopped when she looked in. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling.

"Holly…" Alicia began. She saw Ron and Harry sitting on the bed talking. They stopped when she walked in and Ron's ears went pink.

"You are one devoted fan." Alicia muttered as she realised every orange item, so the entire room, had the Chudley Cannons on it. Ron's Quidditch team.

"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles." he added to Harry "And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…"

Alicia and Harry shared a look, both grinning widely before chorussing

"This is the best house I've ever been in."

"Oh my god!" Alicia suddenly said causing the two to jump "Harry! We can ride broomsticks here!?" Alicia was so excited her voice had risen several octaves.

"I want to do it now! Can we? Please?!" Alicia said moving up into Ron's face.

"Uh… our brooms are kind of…"

"I don't care!" Alicia grinned.

And that's how Alicia and Harry's holiday at the Burrow began.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Alicia was fascinated about all the things that happening in the Burrow. They had a ghoul in the attack that howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things got to quiet. The mirror over the kitchen mantel piece talked and shouted instructions at you. Harry got a start when it shouted " _Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!_ " at him. And from Fred and George's room came small explosions, which apparently were normal. Alicia just had to know what was going on and knocked. Fred had opened it.

"My curiosity needs quenching." she grinned "And I know it's something awesome." Ron had told Alicia not to bother asking the twins what was going on, saying they hadn't opened up to anyone, some sort of secret.

Alicia naturally didn't listen.

"Alright, but you breath a word…"

"You'll have to murder me." Alicia nodded in a serious manner "I'm good at keeping secrets." she grinned and walked into the room.

Alicia spent quite a bit of time with Ginny too. Naturally Ginny's favourite topic was Harry and Alicia, though wanted to ask Ginny about her, answered to keep the girl happy. Of course, this hadn't helped Ginny's nerves when Harry was around her.

Mrs Weasley was all about making Harry look healthy again. She fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal. Alicia didn't need forcing, she was happy to accept if offered.

Alicia loved to talk to Mr Weasley also. He was obsessed and fascinated by Muggles and their 'trinkets'. Alicia or Harry would sit next to Mr Weasley at the dinner table so that they could answer all his questions. Explaining how things like plugs and the postal service worked.

" _Fascinating_!" he would say as Harry talked him through using a telephone. " _Ingenious,_ really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic."

Alicia and Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after they had arrived at the Burrow. Harry and Ron went down to breakfast to find Alicia, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. Alicia had been sharing Ginny's room, while Harry had been with Ron.

The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him.

Alicia whispered a few words in Ginny's ear and the red slowly diminished from the girls face as she smiled. Harry and Ron looked at Alicia who grinned mischievously.

"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. Alicia had her's in her hand already opened and was reading through it.

"Dumbledore already knows you two here, Harry, Alicia — doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pyjamas.

For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Alicia's said almost the same as last year, just without the congratulations or the welcome to the school. Told her to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first, her train ticket was included. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the coming year.

Second-year students will require:

 _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ by Miranda Goshawk  
 _Break with a Banshee_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Gadding with Ghouls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Holidays with Hags_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Travels with Trolls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart  
 _Voyages with Vampires_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Wanderings with Werewolves_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Year with the Yeti_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

"Gilderoy Lockheart, Gilderoy Lockheart, Gilderoy Lockheart." Alicia read before raising an eyebrow.

"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" Fred said as he listened to Alicia. "The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it's a witch."

"Great. We get to watch her ogle over the front covers." Alicia rolled her eyes

"Not a fan?" Fred asked nudging her

"He seems too much in love with himself." Alicia admitted

"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive…"

"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."

"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.

She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish.

"Isn't that great Harry." Alicia smiled placing her arm around Ginny, and ignoring the girls elbow "We'll be sharing a common room." Alicia smiled at Ginny who didn't look worried with Alicia next to her.

At that moment Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest.

"Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."

He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a moulting, grey feather duster — only it wasn't a feather duster, it was breathing.

"Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. " _Finally_ — he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."

"Oh I wrote to her also!" Alicia admitted "but that was before I got here, saying I had you guys planning a rescue mission." Ron carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron laid him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud:

 _Dear Ron, and Alicia and Harry if you're there,_

 _I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl, because I think another delivery might finish your one off._

 _I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course' —_

"How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation!"

 _— and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley?_

 _Let me know what's happening as soon as you can._

 _Love from Hermione._

"She keeps doing that." Alicia rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"What?"

"Well in her letter she sent me on my birthday she said she couldn't wait till school to see me. I had to remind her we'd be seeing one another at Diagon Alley. I've already arrange it with her." Alicia sighed "I guess she doesn't think I'm bringing you lot with me. We can send her a reply with Noel. Or Hedwig, seeing as Hedwig's been locked up all summer. Then she'll know we're all together before she opens the letter."

"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"

Harry, Alicia, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high.

They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies.

Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders, Alicia empty from a broom, to which she was disappointed about. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he had said he was busy. Harry and Alicia had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time.

"Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all."

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame."

"You two feel no shame. I'm surprised you even know the word." Alicia rolled her eyes at them.

Bill was the oldest Weasley brother. He and the next brother, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts. Neither Alicia or Harry had never met either of them, but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill in Egypt working for the wizard's bank, Gringotts.

"Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything…"

Harry and Alicia shared a look as they said nothing. They felt a bit awkward. Stored in an underground vault at Gringotts in London was a small fortune that their parents had left the two of them. Of course, it was only in the wizarding world that either had that kind of money; you couldn't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in Muggle shops.

"I want to offer to help but… do you think that'll make it worse?" Alicia whispered. Harry shrugged but said;

"Maybe you shouldn't, just in case."

* * *

Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.

"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today… Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"

And she offered him the flowerpot.

Harry stared at them all watching him.

"Um…" Alicia said as she and Harry shared a confused look.

"W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered.

"He's never traveled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."

"Never?" said Mr. Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"

"I went on the Underground —"

"On the train." Alicia grinned

"Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there _escapators_?"

"Escalators." Alicia corrected and Author beamed

"How exactly —"

"Not _now,_ Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before —"

"He'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first."

He took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.

With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished.

Alicia grinned.

"Awesome." she muttered

"You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Harry as George dipped his hand into the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate…"

"The right what?" said Harry nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too.

"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly —"

"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said Mr. Weasley, helping himself to Floo powder, too.

"But, dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?"

"They wouldn't mind," Harry reassured her. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that —"

"I'll go with Harry, is that allowed?" Alicia wondered "At least that way he's not alone."

"Well… all right… you two go after Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going —"

"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised.

"And your eyes shut," said Mrs. Weasley. "The soot —"

"Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace —"

"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."

"Elbows in, eye's shut, speak clearly, don't fidget." Alicia pointed to everyone and they nodded as she listed the things. "Okay." Alicia stepped forwards and took Harry's hand as he took a pinch of Floo powder with his free hand and they walked to the edge of the fire. He took a deep breath, scattered the powder into the flames, and both stepped forward; the fire felt like a warm breeze; Harry opened his mouth and immediately swallowed a lot of hot ash.

"D-Dia-gon Alley," he coughed. Alicia looked at Ron worried, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

It felt as though she were being sucked down a giant drain. They seemed to be spinning very fast — the roaring in Alicia's ears was deafening. Alicia kept her eyes clamped shut and elbows in. She felt Harry get knocked as they spun and spun — now it felt as though cold hands were slapping her face.

Alicia realised it was a lot like when Professor McGonagall had retrieved her at the beginning of last year to take her to the Leaky Cauldron, the entranceway to Diagon Alley. Apparate she'd called it then. The pipe and the spinning was the same sensation.

Suddenly, Alicia was pulled face forward into a cold stone by Harry who'd fallen forwards. She heard a snapping noise as she sat up and rubbed her nose.

"God." she muttered "That's twice now."

"Twice?" Harry asked as he looked around, dizzy and bruised.

"Professor McGonagall did something similar to that last year." Alicia admitted. She slowly got to her feet as she coughed and found herself covered in soot. Alicia helped Harry up who was holding his broken glasses.

"Oh, do you want me to fix those?" Alicia wondered

"We can't do magic?"

"In front of muggles. We can in Diagon Alley." Alicia grinned. Harry had started to look around, not listening to her.

They were standing in a dimly lit wizard shop, looking out of the stone fireplace. Nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list.

A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a blood-stained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, the dark, narrow street the two could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley.

"I think we're not meant to be here…" Alicia muttered looking around

"We went too far?" Harry wondered

"Or not far enough." Alicia nodded "But we should be close."

"Come on." Harry decided, taking her hand and leading her towards the door, but before they'd got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass — and one of them was the very last person Harry wanted to meet when he was lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses: Draco Malfoy.

Alicia groaned.

"You've got to be joking." she grumbled angrily as Harry looked around quickly. He spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it, dragging Alicia with him. For the two it was quite a tight fit as Harry pulled the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Malfoy stepped into the shop.

The man who followed could only be Draco's father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, grey eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."

Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."

"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter.

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's _famous…_ famous for having a stupid _scar_ on his forehead…"

Alicia couldn't help but smirk at hearing Draco complain like that.

Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.

"…everyone thinks he's so _smart,_ wonderful _Potter_ with his _scar_ and his _broomstick_ —"

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. "And I would remind you that it is not — prudent — to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear — ah, Mr. Borgin."

A stooping man had appeared behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair back from his face.

"Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Borgin in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted — and young Master Malfoy, too — charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced —"

"I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling," said Mr. Malfoy.

"Selling?" The smile faded slightly from Mr. Borgin's face.

"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," said Mr. Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Borgin to read. "I have a few — ah — items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call…"

Mr. Borgin fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looked down the list.

"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?" Mr. Malfoy's lip curled.

"I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumours about a new Muggle Protection Act — no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it —"

Harry felt a hot surge of anger and Alicia squeezed his hand, which she was still holding, to calm him down.

"— and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it _appear_ —"

"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin. "Let me see…"

"Can I have _that_?" interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.

"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."

"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offence, sir, no offence meant —"

"Though if his grades don't pick up," said Mr. Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for —"

"It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favourites, that Hermione Granger and Alicia Evans —"

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy.

"Ha!" said Harry under his breath, Alicia glanced at him with a smug smirk, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry.

"It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere —"

"Not with me," said Mr. Malfoy, his long nostrils flaring.

"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow.

"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Malfoy shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today —"

They started to haggle. Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to their hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Draco paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals, _Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed_ — _Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date._

Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward — he stretched out his hand for the handle, Alicia's grip tightened on Harry's hand as she shied back into him —

"Done," said Mr. Malfoy at the counter. "Come, Draco —" Harry wiped his forehead on his sleeve as Draco turned away. "Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

The moment the door had closed, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily manner.

"Good day yourself, _Mister_ Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your _manor…_ " Muttering darkly, Mr. Borgin disappeared into a back room. Harry waited for a minute in case he came back.

"I think we're good." Alicia nodded. Then, quietly as they could, they slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door.  
Harry, clutching broken glasses to his face, and Alicia stared around.

They had emerged into a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The one he'd just left, Borgin and Burkes, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of shrunken heads and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders. Two shabby-looking wizards were watching them from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other.

"Come on. I don't like this place." Alicia said silently. And Alicia and Harry set off, Harry trying to hold his glasses on straight and hoping against hope he'd be able to find a way out of here.

"Why don't you let me fix your glasses for you?" Alicia asked as they looked around. An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told them they were in Knockturn Alley.

"Where's Knockturn Alley?" Harry asked.

"I read about it in a book. It's near Diagon Alley, leads off it in fact. If we can find the right way, we'll be out in no time." Alicia admitted "But first let me fix your glasses." Alicia pulled her wand out and took Harry's glasses from him.

" _Oculous Reparo_." Alicia tapped the glasses and they were fixed immediately.

"There." Alicia handed them back

"Thanks."

"Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice. Both Alicia and Harry jumped.

An aged witch stood in front of them, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at him, showing mossy teeth. Harry backed away.

"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "I'm just —"

"We're fine." Alicia staid stronger.

"HARRY! Alicia! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"

Harry's heart leapt and Alicia grinned at the voice. The witch jumped; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as the massive form of Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, came striding toward them, beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard.

"Hagrid!" Harry croaked in relief. "I was lost — Floo powder —"

"Harry didn't speak clearly enough." Alicia managed to say before Hagrid grabbed her arm, and seized Harry by the scruff of the neck and pulled them away from the witch, knocking the tray right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting alleyway out into bright sunlight. They saw a familiar, snow-white marble building in the distance — Gringotts Bank. Hagrid had steered them right into Diagon Alley.

"Yer a mess!" said Hagrid gruffly, brushing soot off Harry so forcefully he nearly knocked him into a barrel of dragon dung outside an apothecary. "Skulkin' around Knockturn Alley, I dunno — dodgy place, Harry — don' want no one ter see yeh down there —"

"I realised _that,_ " said Harry, ducking as Hagrid made to brush him off again.

"Hagrid, we used floor powder for the first time and it failed. You can't blame us for being there." Alicia said forcefully. Hagrid of course listened to the firmness in her voice.

"What were you doing down there, anyway?" Harry asked him

" _I_ was lookin' fer a Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent," growled Hagrid. "They're ruinin' the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?"

"We're staying with the Weasleys but we got separated," Harry explained. "We've got to go and find them…"

"Mrs Weasley's probably having a cow…" Alicia muttered

They set off together down the street.

"How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" said Hagrid as Harry and Alicia jogged alongside him

"I told you Hagrid. The Dursleys." Alicia sighed and Harry explained all about Dobby and the Dursleys.

"Lousy Muggles," growled Hagrid. "If I'd've known —"

"Harry! Harry! Alicia! Over here!"

Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her.

"Hermione!" Alicia beamed and ran to meet her, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Hello, Hagrid — Oh, it's _wonderful_ to see you all again — Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry? Alicia?"

"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry.

"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin.

Harry, Alicia and Hermione looked around: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.

"Ron!" Alicia called waving her hand as she laughed.

"Harry, Alicia," Mr. Weasley panted. "We _hoped_ you'd only gone one grate too far…" He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic — she's coming now —"

"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly.

" _Excellent_!" said Fred and George together.

"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.

"I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid.

"It's kinda creepy." Alicia admitted with a shrug.

Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.

"Oh, Harry — oh, my dear, Alicia — you could have been anywhere —"

Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot from Harry which Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. Alicia was next and she held her arms out as Mrs Weasley had her way with her.

"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"). "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street.

"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father."

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind them.

"No, he was selling —"

"Said there were some things he didn't want the ministry to see. Something about being embarrassed." Alicia admitted

"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…"

"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew —"

"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.

"But you're _Muggles_!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.

Alicia chuckled at the man.

"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys, Alicia and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.

The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Dread filled Alicia and Harry when they reached the Weasley's vault. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag.

Alicia and Harry felt even worse when they reached their vaults. The Weasley's stopped outside Harry's while Alicia moved to hers. She saw Harry try to block the contents of his vault from view as he hastily shoved handfuls of coins into a leather bag.

Alicia quickly grabbed the money she needed for the next year before she went back to Harry's vault as her secret brother came out of his.

Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.

"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfully in the twins' pockets was clamouring to be spent. So Harry bought three large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, Alicia wanted to buy her own, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione dragged them off to buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called _Prefects Who Gained Power._

"A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers," Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds fascinating. . . ."

"Go away," Percy snapped.

"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out.… He wants to be Minister of Magic…" Ron told Harry, Alicia and Hermione in an undertone as they left Percy to it.

Alicia dragged all three of them into the broomstick shop and refused to leave, offering the three to leave her behind as she looked at the brooms.

Her eye was quickly taken by a Firebolt.

"I'm having that one." she said instantly

"Alicia don't you know how much that costs?" Ron demanded

"Don't care." she said "I need a good broom and I'm getting on the team this year." she said determined

"How are you going to fit in your studying?" Hermione asked

"I'm not like these two Hermione." Alicia rolled her eyes and pointed to the boys who looked slightly annoyed. She moved straight to the counter without a second glance at the three.

An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts, Alicia with her new broom over her shoulder and a giddy expression on her face. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:

GILDEROY LOCKHART  
will be signing copies of his autobiography _MAGICAL ME  
_ today 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"

"Oh god." Alicia said as Hermione got over excited "Can I move into your dorm?" she asked the boys "I'm going to have to deal with this all year. I can just tell." Ron and Harry smirked.

The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies… Don't push, there… mind the books, now…"

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione squeezed inside, Alicia going first and using her new, wrapped up, broomstick to form a path. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…"

Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.

"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the _Daily Prophet_ —"

"Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron — and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It _can't_ be Harry Potter?"

"Oh god." Alicia muttered.

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys.

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry seemed to hardly feel his fingers as he opened and closed his fist. He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography — which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —" The crowd applauded again. "He had _no idea,_ " Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me._ He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"What?!" Alicia cried, a few people ignored her as the crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.

"You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own —"

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice no one had no trouble recognising. Harry straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.

" _Famous_ Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a _bookshop_ without making the front page."

"Jealous Malfoy?" Alicia grinned remembering what he'd said in Borgin and Burkes.

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy.

"Potter, you've got yourself a _girlfriend_!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart's books.

"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket.

Alicia however was the one all four, Ginny included, grabbed. Her hand on her wand as the other still held her broomstick.

"This'll make a record Malfoy, I get to hex you before school even begins!" she hissed as Ginny had her wand arm.

"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside." The four released Alicia who just glared at Malfoy.

"Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley."

It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.

"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?"

He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration._

"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.

"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower —"

There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please — please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all —

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up —"

Alicia was with Fred and George, watching with a smirk as Draco looked surprised.

Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an _Encyclopedia of Toadstools._ He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.

"Here, girl — take your book — it's the best your father can give you —" Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that — no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter — bad blood, that's what it is — come on now — let's get outta here."

The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them from leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, the Grangers shaking with fright and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury.

"A _fine_ example to set for your children… _brawling_ in public… _what_ Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought —"

"He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the _Daily Prophet_ if he'd be able to work the fight into his report — said it was all publicity —"

"I cannot believe someone who loves his face so much is going to be teaching us." Alicia groaned.

But it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry, Alicia, the Weasleys, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Burrow using Floo powder. They said good-bye to the Grangers, who were leaving the pub for the Muggle street on the other side; Mr. Weasley started to ask them how bus stops worked, but stopped quickly at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face.

Harry took off his glasses and put them safely in his pocket before helping himself to Floo powder.

"I'll speak this time." Alicia decided and Harry nodded. Both silently agreed they didn't like the means of travel very much.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly. Alicia had spent most of it on her broom, each of the boys had had a go also and she had hardly gotten it back at some points. Ron and Harry had done their homework under her eye. She'd let them copy her's only if they reworded it and they understood what why were writing about. Of course she mainly told them that part.

The month at the Burrow had been the happiest of Harry's life, Alicia could see that without needing to ask, though it was not difficult to see why. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when she thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome Harry could expect next time he turned up on Privet Drive.

On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of their favourite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Alicia was all packed and ready to go first, including having double checked her things twice. She hauled the trunk halfway down the stairs before Mrs Weasley performed a hover charm to do the rest and Alicia was very grateful as she grabbed Noel's cage, her new broomstick and her carry bag. She went to the window and called for her owl who came back happily and went straight to her cage, Alicia locking her in with some food and water.

Alicia spent most of the morning helping everyone else. She went through Harry's trunk, double checking, she went through Ron's when he asked her as well. Even Ginny asked and she double checked she had everything important and her Hogwarts list was ticked off.

Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

Neither Harry nor Alicia could see how nine people, seven large trunks, three owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia.

Naturally, Alicia had to ask.

"I added a expansion charm." Mr Weasley admitted

"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to Alicia and Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Alicia, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles _do_ know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat as Alicia and Harry shared a smug look. The front seat had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. But that was only take one of trying to get to Kings Cross. They returned as George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear —"

" _No,_ Arthur —"

"No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser —"

"I said _no,_ Arthur, not in broad daylight —"

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

"It's going to take us at least seven minutes for us all to get to the platform." Alicia admitted, a little worried. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.

"I'll take Ginny and you three come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry, Alicia and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry and Alicia, who nodded.

Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. Alicia went behind them, following quickly. Both boys bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and —

CRASH.

Alicia dug her heels into the floor and pulled on the trolly, coming to a stop before the mess in front of the barrier.

Both boys trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?"

"Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.

"What the hell happened?!" Alicia demanded as she helped the boys load their things back onto the trolleys.

"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron.

"I dunno —"

Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.

"We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself —"

"That hasn't happened before right?" Alicia asked. Ron shrugged "I've never read of such a thing."

Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds… nine seconds…

He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid.

Three seconds…two seconds… one second…

"It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?" Harry gave a hollow laugh.

"The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years."

"They gave you money to begin with?" Alicia asked shocked

"What about you?" Ron wondered

"I've only got so much." Alicia shook her head. Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier.

"Can't hear a thing," he said tensely. "What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us."

"Well there's got to be something incase people miss the train, like an emergency transport or something." Alicia suggested

They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches.

"I think we'd better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We're attracting too much atten —"

"Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"

"What about it?"

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"

"But I thought —"

"We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy —"

"But your mum and dad…" said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way.

"They'll kill you!" Alicia said seriously

"How will they get home?" Harry wondered

"They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…"

"Can you fly it?" Harry asked

"No problem," said Ron

"Have you flown it before?" Alicia questioned, to which Ron didn't answer but just wheeled his trolley around to face the exit.

"C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express —"

"And we wont get caught by your mother." Alicia added with a grin. And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked.

Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat with Noel, and got into the front, Harry and Alicia in the passenger seat.

"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty.

"Okay," he said.

Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished — and so did they. Alicia looked down surprised. She couldn't see her hands or her legs. She touched her stomach but it was still there, just invisible.

"This is weirder then the invisibility cloak." Alicia admitted. The car began to float a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.

"Let's go," said Ron's voice from her right.

And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.

Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, Alicia and Ron reappeared.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty —"

"Oh crap." Alicia muttered

Both of boys on either side of Alicia pummelled the buttons. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again.

"Ron! Clouds! Go!" Alicia pointed seriously, knowing someone below would probably have spotted them.

"Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.

"Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.

"Dip back down again — quickly —"

They dropped back beneath the clouds and the boys, each next to a window, twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.

"I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead — there!"

The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake.

"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard.

"We'll use the compass to navigate." Alicia decided. Ron nodded.

"Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so — hold on —"

And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.

It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.

"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.

It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream.

"This," Alicia began "Is a brilliant way to travel." she looked around them — past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle.

They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicoloured ants, villages with tiny toy churches.

Several uneventful hours later, however, the fun was beginning to vanish. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. Harry and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, and Alicia had stripped to her t'shirt, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose.

Alicia had her eyes shut and was trying to think cool, wishing she could buy an iced-pumpkin juice from the women who pushed the trolley down the Hogwarts train.

"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"

It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds.

Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.

Harry, Alicia and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

"Uh…" Alicia began

"It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before…"

"That's not helping." Alicia muttered "When things are tired, they usually end up dying of exhaustion…"

But both boys didn't answer and they both seemed to pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest.

"Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously.

When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew.

" _There_!" Harry shouted, making Ron, Alicia, Noel and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!"

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle.

"Oh god I missed it." Alicia muttered with grin. But it vanished quickly as the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed.

"Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on —"

The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake as Alicia bit her lip.

"Smoking engine is not good Ron, it's over heating, you could explode it." She admitted

The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again.

"Come _on,_ " Ron muttered.

They were over the lake — the castle was right ahead — Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence.

The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

" _Noooooo_!" Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.

Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket —

"STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them — Alicia reached around to her bag and grabbed her own wand.

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late —

CRUNCH.

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig and Noel were shrieking in terror; a golf-ball-sized lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield, Alicia's body ached as she'd only just straightened up in time; and to their right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan.

"Are you okay?" Harry said urgently.  
"My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand —" It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.  
Harry opened his mouth to say something but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Alicia and Alicia into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

"What's happen — ?"

"Oh god." Alicia muttered as she closed her eyes "Please tell me didn't…" she began.

Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry and Alicia looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummelling every inch of the car it could reach.

"Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving —

"Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Alicia's's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.

"You can't out run _this_ tree!" Alicia snapped

"What tree?"

"It's the Whomping Willow and you can't get close to it's trunk without it attacking you!" Alicia admitted "What's worse is we hit it! Now it's pissed!" She looked worried

"We're done for!" Ron moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating — the engine had restarted.

" _Reverse_!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car —"

The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry and Alicia felt their seat tip sideways: Next thing either of them knew they was sprawled on the damp ground, Alicia landing on top of Harry before they turned. Loud thuds sounded as Alicia watched the car eject their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Alicia got to her feet and caught Noel's cage as it too had gone flying and Alicia immediately released the bird apologising over and over to her who followed Hedwig quickly.

Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.

"Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!"

But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

"Can you _believe_ our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back."

"That was ridiculous." Alicia breathed as they glanced over their shoulders at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.

"Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school…"

It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors.

"I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey — Harry, Alicia — come and look — it's the Sorting!"

Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall. Alicia however sighed at them, sure they hadn't watched a sorting yet, but she just wanted food at the moment.

Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.

Every year, this aged old hat, patched, frayed, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Alicia remembered the Hat thinking of putting her in Ravenclaw, and the little thought process it went through being whispered in her ear. In the end she was put in Gryffindor, along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. Last term, Alicia, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years.

"Hang on…" Harry muttered to Ron and Alicia turned to him. "There's an empty chair at the staff table… Where's Snape?"

Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favourite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favourite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own House (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.

"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully.

"Maybe he's _left,_ " said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defence Against the Dark Arts job _again_!" Alicia suddenly felt a prickle on her neck and turned around to find Severus Snape standing right behind the three. He looked pleased to have caught them doing wrong, but he was always sneering when it concerned Harry.

Snape looked down at her, his eyes examining her as they usually did in the occasional moment he wasn't ignoring her.

"Uh…" she began, reaching behind her to try and tap one of the boys

"Or he might have been _sacked_!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him —"

"Or maybe," Snape began in his cold voice "he's waiting to hear why you three didn't arrive on the school train." Alicia bit her lip as Harry spun around. Snape was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told the three they were in very deep trouble.

"Follow me," said Snape.

Not daring even to look at each other, Alicia, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons.

"In!" he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.

"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick, Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a _bang,_ did we, boys?"

Alicia sighed. And the ignoring began, he didn't even look at her. Sometimes Alicia wasn't sure if this was better then his sour mood he gave every other student.

"No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it —"

"Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?"

Ron gulped.

"How'd you…?" Alicia began. Snape unrolled today's issue of the _Evening Prophet._

"You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline: _FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES._ He began to read aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police… Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe _your_ father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear… his own son…"

Alicia closed her eyes in guilt. Of course. If anyone found out Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car he's probably loose his job.

"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape went on.

"That tree did more damage to _us_ than we —" Ron blurted out.

" _Silence_!" snapped Snape again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who _do_ have that happy power. You will wait here."

"Great." Alicia said as the door closed "We try to get here cause we miss the train and we're probably just going to get expelled out anyway." she groaned "Where's Hermione's common sense when you need it."

All three of them knew that if Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, they were hardly any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict.

Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. They'd had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either Alicia had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or she had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.

"Sit," she said, and they all backed into chairs by the fire. "Explain," she said, her glasses glinting ominously.

Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.

"— so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."

"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe _you two_ have an owl?" Professor McGonagall said coldly to both Alicia and Harry.

Harry gaped at her. Now she'd said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.

"I — I didn't think —"

"That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious."

There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. At first Alicia felt relieved, Dumbledore was the fairest and best person in Hogwarts she'd met so far. But the relief dampened slowly as she saw the headmaster's expression. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them.

There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, "Please explain why you did this."

It would have been better if he had shouted. His voice was filled with disappointment. Harry was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles.

"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.

Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore while Alicia stayed as silent as she had since Snape had found them.

"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon all of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."

Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, these three have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree — surely acts of this nature —"

"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these three's punishments, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample —"

Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving them and Alicia alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.

"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."

"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted —"

"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."

"Oh, good," said Ron.

"And speaking of Gryffindor —" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: "Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so — so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it — should it?" he finished, watching her anxiously.

"Really?" Alicia asked looking at him

Professor McGonagall gave Harry a piercing look, but Alicia was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.

"I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said. "But you will all get a detention."

It was better than Alicia had expected and she tried to keep the smile of her face incase McGonagall made it worse. As for Dumbledore's writing to Ms Bane, she'd be disappointed, but she was receiving punishment so other then a few extra chores she wasn't worried about anything worse.

Ron however…

Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, three silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.

"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast."

When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.

"I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich.

"So did I," said Harry, taking one, too.

"God that's so much better." Alicia let out a sigh of relief as she chewed the food.

"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw _them._ " He swallowed and took another huge bite. " _Why_ couldn't we get through the barrier?" Harry shrugged.

"We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice.

"Maybe it has something to do with Dobby. I mean I still don't think Malfoy sent him. It was too feeble of an attempt." Alicia admitted "Malfoy knows nothing about the Dursleys hating Harry so he couldn't have planning Harry getting locked up." she said eating some sandwiches happily and downing some pumpkin juice.

"Wish we could've gone up to the feast…"

"She didn't want us showing off," said Ron sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car."

When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself), they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armour, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said as they approached.

"Er —" said Harry.

"Crap." Alicia groaned. They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.

"Hermione!" Alicia grinned "Great timing." she said, congratulating her.

" _There_ you are! Where have you _been_? The most _ridiculous_ rumours — someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying _car_ —"

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.

"You're not telling me you _did_ fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, we did." Alicia smiled "And we got away with only detention."

"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."

"It's 'wattlebird,'" said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point —"

Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry, Alicia and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them.

"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years —"

"Good for you," said a fifth year Alicia didn't know; someone was patting Harry on the back as though he'd just won a marathon while Alicia just held her hand up and several people high-fifed it. Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together,

"Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

"You ran through the barrier too quickly." Alicia shrugged grinning

Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once.

"Got to get upstairs — bit tired," he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.

"'Night," Harry called back to Hermione and Alicia, Hermione of whom was wearing a scowl just like Percy's.

"So, who want's too hear about our day?" Alicia wondered as the boys vanished. Alicia, wanting some fun, climbed onto a table and everyone crowded around. She winked at Hermione who looked highly disappointed and Alicia began to tell about the day.

Naturally she made it much more interesting and added in some false parts about having to dodge some planes and helicopters and how birds had flown around them.

"Is that true?" asked an amazed first year.

"What do you think?" Alicia wondered. She didn't admit to any of the false adds she said but she didn't deny them either.

"You're going to start ridiculous rumours." Hermione scolded as they went to bed later

"Yeah that's alright." Alicia shrugged "Most of it was true, but the car ride was peaceful except for the heat."

Hermione scowled.

"Hermione we've been punished accordingly it's not like we're getting out of it with nothing like Harry did when he first flew a broom." Alicia rolled her eyes "Lighten up." and she opened the door to their dormitory.

Alicia moved to the trunk and unpacked a few things, her robes, her books, her homework and her pyjama's being the most important before pulling on her pyjama's and climbing into bed.

* * *

 **I'm going out now and will upload the rest of the story when I get home. It is finished. So it should be finished in a couple of hours or so.**

 **Hope you like it so far.**

 **xx**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Alicia was happy when she woke up the next morning and went to breakfast with Hermione, who was still giving her the slight cold shoulder. People greeted her and said good morning as they passed her and made her even happier to finally be back at Hogwarts. She'd taken the immediate opportunity to use magic and had unpacked what ever else was necessary from her trunk with a wave of her wand and hadn't stopped smiling since she had done so.

Harry and Ron joined the two girls at the Gryffindor table, Hermione who her copy of _Voyages with Vampires_ propped open against a milk jug said " 'Morning," with some slight stiffness.

Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, one of the second years in Gryffindors and shared the dorm with Ron, Harry and two others, greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Alicia had ever met.

"Mail's due any minute — I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."

Alicia was digging into some scrambled eggs when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and grey fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.

" _Errol_!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no —" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that — it's _that._ "

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"Wait a second," Alicia eyed it, slowly recognising it

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"She's — she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" — he gulped — "it was horrible."

Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

"What's a Howler?" he said.

"A letter that howls." Alicia muttered as she looked at the letter it had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes —" Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville and Alicia both stuffed their fingers in their ears. A split second later, Harry knew why. He thought for a moment it _had_ exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

" _— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —_ "

Mrs. Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swivelling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

" _— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU, ALICIA AND HARRY COULD ALL HAVE DIED —_ "

Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up. He tried very hard to look as though he couldn't hear the voice that was making his eardrums throb. Alicia smashed her hands into her face and rested her elbows on the table.

" _— ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME._ "

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry, Alicia and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Hermione closed _Voyages with Vampires_ and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you —"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron

"It wasn't as bad as I thought." Alicia said as she exhaled deeply and returned to her breakfast. Harry and Ron both looked at her as Ron rose to sit properly and Harry pushed his porridge away.

Hermione ignored them as she turned to Professor McGonagall who was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. Alicia took hers and saw that they had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing: Hermione seemed to think they had now been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again.

As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Oh god, not him." Alicia muttered with all that had happened since they want to Diagon Alley, Alicia had forgotten about Lockhart teaching them.

Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, in the distance Alicia spotted the Whomping Willow, several of its branches now in slings.

Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.

"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels…"

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self. Alicia didn't blame her.

There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before — greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. The smell of damp earth and fertiliser mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. Alicia was following Harry inside when Lockhart's hand shot out past her and grabbed Harry.

"Harry! I've been wanting a word — you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"

Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket, Ms…" he turned to Alicia

"Evans." Alicia muttered

"Ms Evans, good friends with Harry here?" Lockhart wanted

"Family." she admitted with a smile

"Really?" Lockhart beamed "Well anyone who's a friend of Harry's is a friend of mine." Alicia raised her eyebrows and turned to Harry who didn't look happy either.

"Don't mind if I steal him do you?" Lockheart wondered

"Yes I do." she said "But being a teacher you have authority over me so," Alicia walked into the greenhouse and closed the door on them both. Harry looked at her as though she was a traitor, leaving him alone.

Professor Sprout explained that the plants they'd be dealing with this year were more dangerous and more extreme then last year. They'd need to work harder, they needed to take more precautions, no mucking around. Alicia was only half listening as she eyed the pots around the rom and the fluffy earmuffs on the table.

Harry came in a little while later and stood before Ron and Alicia.

"We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

To nobody's surprise, Alicia and Hermione's hands fought to be first in the air. The two were on a silent competition to see who could get the highest score by the end of the year, Alicia having won last year.

"Yes, Miss Granger." Professor Sprout pointed

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again but Alicia's hand hadn't even gone down.

"Miss Evans."

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she answered "Older Mandrakes can kill while child mandrakes may only cause unconsciousness."

"Precisely. Another ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. Hermione and Alicia shared a grin and high fifed. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."

She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in colour, were growing there in rows.

"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy. Alicia just grabbed the closest ones, not caring of the colour.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are _completely_ covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs _on._ "

Alicia put hers on and found they were amazingly good. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.

Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.

"As Miss Evans pointed out, our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they _will_ knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up.

"Four or five to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter… Alicia Evans, strong willed and talented, only rival of Hermione Granger — who's otherwise always top in everything," Hermione beamed as her hand was shaken also. "— and Ron Weasley. Wasn't that your flying car?"

Ron didn't smile. The Howler was obviously still on his mind.

"Yes." Alicia added quietly "But let's not go into that yet." Justin nodded

"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and — zap — just _fantastic."_

Alicia rolled her eyes.

"My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family…"

After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.

By the end of the class everyone was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. They was supposed to be turning a beetle into a button. Harry, frustratedly, managed to give his beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desk-top avoiding his wand.

Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Sellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick grey smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased.

Alicia and Hermione however were having a battle over who could transfigure the most beetles and had piles on their desks already. Alicia, trying to gain some more bonus points, transfigured a couple for Harry, showing him how to do it and then when he did McGonagall awarded him some points. Alicia smirked and Hermione rolled her eyes, but a smile didn't leave her face.

Alicia and Hermione, with pockets filled with buttons, walked down to lunch where Harry and Ron, lugging behind, joined them.

"What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject after Hermione boasted about her beetle buttons.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once. Alicia groaned and bashed her forehead on the table.

" _Why,_ " demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"

"You what?!" Alicia asked, snatching it from Ron before Hermione could. "Oh Hermione," she said in a pitiful voice, her friend stealing it back "How can you be so easily swain?" Alicia demanded.

Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.

"I bet you've read all his books too." she snapped

"I have but I seem to be the only girl in this school not getting that dreamy look on my face whenever I see him and dotting his classes with hearts on my timetable." Alicia sighed, clearly disappointed in the female population at Hogwarts. "Am I the only sane one?" she wondered up to the bewitched celling.

"Oh shut up." Hermione snapped.

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in _Voyages with Vampires_ again. Harry, Alicia and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked Harry, noticing his confused look as he looked up.

"I'm being watched." Harry nodded his head and Alicia followed his indication to see a very small, mousy-haired boy staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.

"Excuse me," Alicia called and both Harry and Ron looked at her. The boy looked worried and embarrassed in an instant. "Come here." Alicia smiled kindly and the boy slowly walked forwards. He looked from Alicia to Ron and finally to Harry as all three waited for him to speak

"All right, Harry? I'm — I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think — would it be all right if — can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.

"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly.

"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead." (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "I also heard about your probable twin sister who didn't survive cause she didn't turn up at Hogwarts last year and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll _move._ " Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement while Hermione's head had snapped up from her book and Ron was looking at Harry surprised also. Alicia and Harry shared a look as Collin continued and said, "It's _amazing_ here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" — he looked imploringly at Harry — "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

" _Signed photos_? You're giving out _signed photos,_ Potter?"

Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

"I have a few more jinxes Malfoy and I'm looking forward to using them." Alicia threatened as she got to her feet. Hermione however grabbed her wand arm, the wand gripped in Alicia's hand.

"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.

" _Jealous_?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: Half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.

"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. " _If you put another toe out of line_ —"

A knot of Slytherin fifth years nearby laughed loudly at this.

"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house —"

Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione stopped him and released Alicia

"Look out!" Gilderoy Lockheart was coming over.

"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giving out signed photos?"

Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"

Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd.

"Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll _both_ sign it for you."

Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signalling the start of afternoon classes.

"Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side.

"What was Collin saying about Harry's sister?" Ron asked "I didn't hear anything about a sister? A twin no doubt?"

"Didn't you hear Ron? Being in a wizard family?" Hermione asked "They say Harry had a twin sister who died when You-Know-Who cursed Harry. But they didn't know if she actually died or not until last year when she didn't turn up to Hogwarts."

"Why didn't anyone say anything?" Ron questioned

"Dumbledore said it was because no one wanted to bring it up after she wasn't called out at the sorting." Alicia admitted and both looked at her "He told Harry about his sister when we were in the hospital wing last term, after Quirrell." she admitted "I asked the same question. I thought it was strange Malfoy hadn't brought it up at all, of all people." The two nodded

"So Harry does know about it?" Hermione asked

"He does now." Alicia nodded. She began to feel guilty, she wanted to tell the two the truth, but couldn't bring herself to do so as they walked through the corridors towards the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry and Lockhart ahead of them.

 _Too many prying ears._ But Alicia knew she was making up an excuse, the reason as to why, she didn't know.

"Maybe she is alive." Ron shrugged

"Ron, she's not at Hogwarts. If Harry's here and Harry's parents came don't you think she would be too?" Hermione asked

"Just because she didn't turn up doesn't mean she's dead. She could be somewhere else, or a squib." Ron suggested to which Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Or you could not know she's Harry's Twin." Alicia said casually

"How?"

"Different last name."

"That seems a bit farfetched." Hermione said, smiling slightly. Alicia just looked ahead and didn't answer as they reached Lockhart's classroom.

Harry was already sitting in a seat at the back of the class, his seven Lockhart books piled up before him. He was clearly hiding from Lockhart.

"I feel extremely sorry for you." Alicia muttered as she sat beside him

"Maybe if you weren't a secret you'd be going through the same thing." He hissed as Ron and Hermione joined them. Alicia shrugged

"You could've fried an egg on your face," said Ron. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."

"Shut up," snapped Harry.

When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of _Travels with Trolls,_ and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. Alicia's forehead met the desk.

"You've got to be kidding." she muttered

"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award — but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling_ at her!"

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in —"

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes — start — _now_!"

Alicia read the questions.

"Are you kidding me?!" she repeated so almost the entire class heard.

 _1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?_

 _2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?_

 _3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?_

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

 _54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

Alicia was shocked enough when she read about such things in the books themselves, but to ask questions solely about himself?

Alicia began to answer the questions, they were easy enough but ridiculous.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut — hardly any of you remembered that my favourite colour is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ And a few of you need to read _Wanderings with Werewolves_ more carefully — I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples — though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky!"

He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter.

Alicia just had a plain expression that said he was the stupidest person she'd ever met.

Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

"… but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact" — he flipped her paper over — "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a trembling hand.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor!"

"Oh great." Alicia muttered and Harry and Ron looked at her, confused before realising why she was suddenly so down.

"And Miss Alicia Evans also!" everyone looked at Alicia who had her head leaning in the palm of one of her hands lazily and her elbow on the table. Lockhart looked up at her and beamed

"Another ten points." he decided and Alicia just rolled her eyes.

"And so — to business —" Lockhart decided finally

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now — be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard-kind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically. " _Freshly caught Cornish pixies._ "

Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror. He wasn't the only one Alicia had bursted into laughter and wasn't even trying to control them.

"Yes?" Lockhart smiled at Seamus.

"Well, they're not — they're not very — _dangerous,_ are they?" Seamus choked.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

"They're little pixies." Alicia gasped through her laughter "They most they do is make mischief."

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.

Alicia was under her desk in an instant. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

"Come on now — round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted.

He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, " _Peskipiksi Pesternomi_!"

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.

"Can you _believe_ him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.

"He's a joke!" Alicia said as she grabbed her wand. " _Imobulus_." she pointed her wand at the room and several pixies stopped moving.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Hermione, immobilising two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage. Alicia went around and grabbed all the ones she'd frozen.

" _Hands on_?" said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing —"

"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books — look at all those amazing things he's done —"

"He _says_ he's done," Ron muttered.

"I bet he made them up." Alicia admitted as she froze the pixies Harry was trying to get and he too stuffed it in the cage.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The next few days involved Harry avoiding Lockhart and dragging Alicia with him. However, she was more then happy not to see him. With the lesson's they had so far, since the pixies, he was becoming more and more happy with Alicia and Hermione. Of course it hadn't escaped his notice that they were both friends with Harry.

"Oh course, only go for the best Harry." Lockhart had smiled with a nod. Alicia had actually hit herself in the forehead in annoyance.

As soon as she'd had a spare moment however, Alicia had found Oliver Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and was captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Do you have an available spot?" she wondered

"You still interested?" Wood asked in his Scottish accent.

"More then ever." Alicia nodded "I bought a broom for it too."

"Really what kind?" Wood wondered

"A Firebolt." And Wood had stopped dead in the corridor

"So are there tryouts?" she wondered.

Wood hadn't even tried to refuse. Wood decided to have the try outs after school as he said he wanted to start training that weekend. Alicia was more then keen and agreed when he said he wanted to get ahead of the other teams. She wasn't just trying to please Wood, she wanted to start playing right away.

"There's only a chaser's spot open though," he warned

"Awesome." Alicia grinned.

After classes had finished that day Alicia was up in the common room, changed, and grabbed her Firebolt and was down the stairs towards the Quidditch pitch. A lot of people stared at her, well the broom, as she went but as usual she ignored the whispers and pointing fingers. Being around Harry all the time, she was used to it.

Alicia went straight to the changing rooms and found at least ten other people there. She sighed.

"Ah you're here." Wood smiled as he stood beside her

"And here I thought being around all year would give me brownie points." she frowned up at Wood who smiled.

"I like you're enthusiasm but you might not be that good, or the best." Alicia's eyes narrowed dangerously and Wood's smile dropped. "I didn't say you weren't." he reminded her

"I get it, just want to win, don't want an idiot on the team." Alicia nodded "That's alright, I mean I don't know your training methods off by heart or anything." and she smirked when Wood seemed to be thinking over the advantage he already had. Naturally however, he wasn't getting rid of anyone else without a tryout, but Alicia didn't really expect him to.

"Alright," Wood began, drawing everyone's attention. He gave the speech of what they were to do; shoot at least five goals against the current chasers and Wood himself, the keeper. What he expected from them; bright and early for practice when he called without complaints, several practices a week and committed, no matter how hard school got.

Alicia was positive she could to all of them, at least for the first year, depending on how early he got her up at.

Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, the other two chasers and Wood all got on their brooms and called up several people, one at a time.

Alicia watched and remembered all of Wood's tactics from last year. She pinpointed all of Angelina and Katie's usual moves and grinned as she understood their weak points. She liked being smart sometimes.

 _Hermione would be proud._ she thought to herself.

"Alicia!" Wood called. Alicia mounted her broom and she was beside Angelina before anyone could blink with her Firebolt.

"Is that Firebolt?!" Angelina asked surprised, a grin on her face.

"Yeah I bought it so I could play." Alicia smiled. Angelina grinned at her and looked at Wood who nodded he was ready. Katie handed Alicia the Quaffle and the two flew to position themselves between Alicia and Wood.

Alicia grinned, tucked the Quaffle under her arm and leaned over her broom. She sped past Angelina and Katie and spun out of their grips without much difficulty, the speed of her broom adding to her advantage.

She flew in a straight line for the middle hoop and Wood positioned himself slightly below it, waiting for her to score, before she threw the Quaffle to the right hoop and it went straight through.

Alicia pulled up easily and smiled. Wood looked pleased and he collected the Quaffle before handing it to Angelina.

"This time you take it." Wood ordered. Alicia nodded and turned to Angelina who sped for the other side of the pitch.

Alicia had so much fun with her tryouts. She got the Quaffle off Angelina and Katie, scored six times in a row and managed to even confuse Wood as to her tactics. She was laughing by the end of it.

"You're good." Wood nodded

"I think the speed of the broom helps." Alicia admitted "But maybe also the fact that I watched you all train for a whole year has it's upsides too."

Wood nodded and sent her back to the ground before he got everyone else to tryout.

Alicia tried to keep her nervous down as she watched the others. They'd seen her performance and could outrun it now. Harry, Hermione and Ron had been cheering for her with the Weasley twins who were downgrading everyone else trying out. Alicia had shouted at them to be more supportive to the others.

They had listened, but toned down the excitement for everyone else.

When the tryouts were done, Wood and the rest of the team had moved to the change rooms and Hermione and Ron joined Alicia. She was biting her lip as they waited for them to deliberate.

"If Fred and George have a say, you'll be on the team." Ron assured Alicia "Plus Harry would fight for you."

"There was also the fact that Alicia was the best one out there." Hermione said "You need talent, not just connections."

"Alicia had that too. Come on she's clearly in, she knows all of Wood's practices and she knows the moves made by each player, that's how she was able to avoid them all." Ron said. Alicia was only half listening to their argument as she watched the change rooms, waiting for Wood to announce the new chaser.

Finally the team emerged and the twins were grinning. Hermione and Ron shared a knowing glance.

"Alicia." they nodded. Apparently the twins had been complaining that they would not be happy if Alicia didn't get the spot.

"She was the best one." Ron nodded

"After much deliberation," Wood looked to the twins who's grins only widened "We've decided who the new chaser will be for Gryffindor." he paused for effect and Alicia held her breath, her grip tight on her broomstick.

"Alicia Evans." Alicia's excitement exploded and she grinned with a loud cheer, the Firebolt raised in the air in triumph. Fred and George grabbed her and hoisted her up, sitting on Fred's shoulder. Alicia laughed as they turned her around, George waving the firebolt in the air.

Alicia was laughing at their behaviour as Harry grinned. Angela and Katie were smiling and Wood, as usual, looked thoughtful, probably trying to figure out how to use her to his advantage with the Firebolt.

The Weasley's didn't put her down until they were in the common room. All the way up the staircases and through the corridors they called out to everyone that there was a new Gryffindor chaser. Of course the firebolt was kept hidden under George's robe which brought up some suspicions. George gave every person who asked a different story.

When they reached the common room Fred and George had announced it at the top of their lungs and the Firebolt was put on display.

It received a lot of attention. Alicia sat smiling, her arms crossed by now as she just rolled her eyes. But her excitement of making the team didn't weaver for even a second.

Alicia's mood was so good that she succeeded in every class, including Lockhart's, above Hermione all the way until their first Quidditch practice.

Wood made sure to tell Alicia the night before that he wanted her up at the crack of dawn, literally, to begin practice. Alicia smiled and nodded, excitedly. Wood looked surprised by the reaction before shaking his head and continuing.

"And here are your Quidditch robes by the way." he handed her a set of scarlet and gold robes and Alicia jumped up from her seat, scattering the paper, quil and books she had in her lap on the floor. Luckily the ink was saved by Hermione.

"Really already?!" she asked surprised

"Yeah." Alicia took them and unfolded them to get a good look. Her name was on the back.

Alicia hugged Wood.

"Thank you!" she grinned.

* * *

Alicia was up and ready in time for Wood's practice. She yawned all they down the stairs, her Firebolt over her shoulder before she entered the Gryffindor change rooms.

Fred and George were there, puffy-eyed and tousle-haired. Alicia grinned and moved to sit between them both.

"Wake up sleepy heads." she nudged them

"I give her a week." George sighed to Fred who nodded, too tired to answer verbally. Alicia rolled her eyes. Kate and Angelina were yawning side by side opposite the twins and Alicia. Wood naturally stood before them and Harry turned up last.

"There you are, Harry, what kept you?" said Wood briskly. He didn't wait for an answer "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…"

Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different-coloured inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred's head drooped right onto Alicia shoulder and he began to snore.

Alicia rolled her eyes.

The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Harry sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on. Alicia seemed the only one awake enough to take in anything he said.

"So," said Wood "Is that clear? Any questions?"

"I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?" Alicia chuckled

Wood wasn't pleased.

"Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Quidditch Cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately — owing to circumstances beyond our control —"

Alicia sighed. Gryffindor had lost the last game because Harry had been in the hospital wing with her after their confrontation with Quirrell.

Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him.

"So this year, we train harder than ever before… Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, his team followed. Alicia stretched from sitting so long as they walked.

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Harry and Alicia walked onto the field, they saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.

"Haven't even started," said Harry, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

Alicia rolled her eyes as Harry's missing enthusiasm as she mounted her broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. She loved the cool morning air on her face and any drowsiness Wood's talk had brought on was gone in the instant.

She saw Harry soaring right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George and grinned. Naturally she joined in and lapped all three of them.

"Right, can we take the firebolt out?" George asked jealously causing Alicia to laugh.

"What's that funny clicking noise?" called Fred as they hurtled around the corner.

Harry looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium.

"Hey, it's Collin." Alicia chuckled as she nudged Harry.

"Look this way, Harry! This way!" he cried shrilly.

"Who's that?" said Fred.

"No idea," Harry lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took him as far away as possible from Colin. Alicia just laughed as she followed.

"What's going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"He's in Gryffindor," said Harry quickly.

"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George.

"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.

"Because they're here in person," said George, pointing.

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"Great." Alicia grumbled

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Harry, Alicia, Fred, and George followed.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of troll-ish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

Angelina and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. ' _I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'_ "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy.

"I don't see a seeker." Alicia admitted "Just a ghost who couldn't catch a snail." she shrugged casually to which the twins snickered at.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words _Nimbus Two Thousand and One_ gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" — he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives — "sweeps the board with them."

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment except Alicia. She just held her broom out to them all without at word. They all eyed the broom and the eyes widened.

"A firebolt cleans all your nimbus two-thousand and ones." she said simply. The Slytherins were ogling the broom, lost for words. "You don't get to use the excuse of training a new player as we have the same reason." she said simply "So next time why don't you be more organised and _book_ the pitch." she hissed. Malfoy glared at her and Flint turned to find a change in subject.

"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion." Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's _he_ doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."

Ron gaped, openmouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"No one was ogling the boring Nimbus'." Alicia said to Ron with a roll of her eyes

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," said Hermione sharply. " _They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

There was an uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him.

" _How dare you_!", and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

Alicia however had her wand in her hand and was more successful. Both Flint and Malfoy went flying through the air, Flint landing on top of the small Slytherin seeker.

Both Flint and Malfoy were suddenly covered in boils.

Alicia didn't even stop to admire her handy work as she, Harry and Hermione, along with the entire Gryffindor team crowded around Ron.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Gryffindor's gapped at Ron, none of them walking to touch him as Ron continued to belch large, glistening slugs.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Alicia and Hermione, who both nodded, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.

"What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin had run down from his seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field.

"This is a curse Collin it requires magic higher then a second year." Alicia admitted as she and Harry carried Ron, Hermione leading the way.

Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front.

"Oooh," said Colin, fascinated and raising his camera. "Can you hold him still, Harry?"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" said Harry angrily. He and Alicia supported Ron out of the stadium and across the grounds toward the edge of the forest.

"Nearly there, Ron," said Hermione as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You'll be all right in a minute — almost there —" They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.

"Crap!" Alicia said

"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one — I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the castle.

Harry and Alicia waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently.

Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.

"Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me — come in, come in — thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again —"

Harry and Alicia supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.

"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get 'em all up, Ron."

"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand —"

"I don't blame him for trying." Alicia grumbled

"You got him back." Hermione didn't even look disappointed.

Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Harry.

"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears.

"Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

"I'll split that kettle with you." Alicia pointed agreeing completely.

It was most unlike Hagrid to criticise a Hogwarts teacher, and Harry looked at him in surprise. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job —"

"He was the _on'y_ man for the job," said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle toffee, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin. "An' I mean the _on'y_ one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron. "Who was he tryin' ter curse?"

"Malfoy called Hermione something — it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild."

"It was unnecessarily _disgusting_." Alicia snapped angrily

"It _was_ bad," said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop looking pale and sweaty. "Malfoy called her 'Mudblood,' Hagrid —"

Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged.

"He didn'!" he growled at Hermione.

"He did," she said. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course —"

"I don't know how you can't." Alicia growled "I read it in a few books and had to shut them all, they were just barbarically ridiculous."

"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up. "Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born — you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards — like Malfoy's family — who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood." He gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin and continued, "I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any difference at all. Look at Neville Longbottom — he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up."

"An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta.

"It's a disgusting thing to call someone," said Ron, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. "Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."

He retched and ducked out of sight again.

"Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

"Too bad I cursed him." Alicia shrugged

"You what?" Hagrid asked

"Okay, I hexed." she rolled her eyes "I used the Furnunculus Curse, he's going to be in the hospital. Marcus Flint too."

"Harry," said Hagrid abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. "Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

Alicia groaned as Harry, furious reacted instantly.

"I have _not_ been giving out signed photos," he said hotly. "If Lockhart's still spreading that around —"

But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing.

"I'm on'y jokin'," he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him face first into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."

"Bet he didn't like that," said Harry, sitting up and rubbing his chin. Alicia was laughing.

"Not at all."

"Don' think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle toffee, Ron?" he added as Ron reappeared.

"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."

"Come an' see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as Harry and Hermione finished the last of their tea.

In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Harry had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.

"Gettin' on well, aren't they?" said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Halloween feast… should be big enough by then."

"Already?" Alicia asked surprised

"What've you been feeding them?" said Harry.

Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone. "Well, I've bin givin' them — you know — a bit o' help —" Harry noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin. This umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, Alicia and Harry had been given the strong impression that Hagrid's old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year. Hagrid refused to talk about why he'd been expelled.

"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them."

"They'll look great." Alicia nodded happily

"That's what yer little sister said," said Hagrid, nodding at Ron. "Met her jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, _she_ wouldn' say no ter a signed —"

"Oh, shut up," said Harry. Alicia and Ron snorted with laughter, the latter spraying the ground with slugs.

"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.

It was nearly lunchtime and Alicia was more then happy to hurry towards it, as she hadn't had breakfast. Harry agreed with her in an instant, having the same problem. They said good-bye to Hagrid and walked back up to the castle, Ron hiccoughing occasionally, but only bringing up two very small slugs.

They had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out, "There you are, Potter — Evans — Weasley." Professor McGonagall was walking toward them, looking stern. "You will do your detentions this evening."

"What're we doing, Professor?" said Ron, nervously suppressing a burp.

" _You_ and Miss Evans will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch," said Professor McGonagall. "And no magic, Weasley, Evans — elbow grease."

Ron gulped. Argus Filch, the caretaker, was loathed by every student in the school. Alicia decided that was fair, though Filch may have been pushing it.

"And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail," said Professor McGonagall. Alicia tried to hide her laughter, although she did fell sorry for the twin.

"Oh n — Professor, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" said Harry desperately.

"Certainly not," said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "Professor Lockhart requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, all of you."

Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Hermione and Alicia behind them, Hermione wearing a _well-you-did-break-school-rules_ sort of expression.

"Filch'll have us there all night," said Ron heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning."

"Well I am, there's two of us remember." Alicia said, not down like the two boys.

"You're too high-spirited. This is Filch we're talking about." Ron reminded her. Alicia only shrugged.

"I'd swap anytime," said Harry hollowly. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail… he'll be a nightmare…"

Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight. Alicia and Ron made their way to the trophy room in silence.

"Alright, I'll do one half, you do the other, we'll meet in the middle. If someone finishes first just move on to the others half. That way we'll be done quicker." Alicia decided as they stood outside the door. Ron nodded and Alicia patted his back, however Ron burped up another slug and she pulled away, grimacing.

Filch didn't look happy to see them, as usual. Alicia had only once seen him very happy that kids were getting punished and that was when she, Harry and Hermione were sent into the dark forest as a punishment for wondering the school at night. Filch apparently loved severe punishments, he'd once said he had chains that hung students by the wrists in the dungeons. Filch still had them and kept them oiled, just in case.

The caretaker gave them pitiful instructions, the materials to clean the silver and gold with and then sent them off.

Alicia got to work on the shields first, the only sound that filled the room was the clanking of metal and Ron occasionally burping up another slug. Alicia knew he was probably belching them all over the shields and trophies.

Alicia paused as she polished one of the Quidditch shields. She read the names there and her eyes transfixed on one of them.

 _James Potter._

 _Chaser._

She looked at it surprised. Her dad had played for quidditch at school?

 _That explains how Harry and I were able to get riding a broom quickly._ she reminded herself with a grin. She like the fact that she had something other then her his hair from her father.

Alicia got through her work quicker then Ron, as she'd had practice at polishing things from her chores at the orphanage. She had done seven shields and five trophies in the time Ron did three shields and two trophies.

Filch eyed them the entire time. His brown, yellow lamp-eyed cat, Mrs Norris, watched them just as closely. Mrs Norris was just as bad as Filch, as soon as you did wrong she'd run off to Filch who'd appear within the minute through a secret passage.

At some point Filch nagged at Ron and made him clean the same trophy of the Quidditch Cup for fourteen minutes. Alicia got away without much shouting at, everything she picked up she shined until she could see her face in it.

Alicia just kept polishing until she'd finished her entire end. She grinned and looked over to see Ron had hardly got halfway. He had been polishing the same shield for at least twenty minutes. He kept burping slugs on it.

Alicia walked over and snatched it from his hands. Ron looked at her surprised and she glanced at Mrs Norris and Filch, Filch was inspecting Alicia's end of the room, before she polished the shield for him, getting the slime off it a lot quickly then Ron. Ron got the gist and grabbed another trophy.

"We're gonna be here forever." Ron whispered

"There's only like a quarter left." Alicia assured him, glancing at the cat who didn't take her eyes off them. "Shouldn't take more then half an hour with us both doing it."

Ron sighed and looked doubtful, he was about to complain when Alicia's head snapped up and she stared at the celling. The shield she was holding clattered to the ground and Ron looked at her surprised, glancing at Filch who came over and started to badger Alicia.

She wasn't listening to him, another voice had broken through the silence. It was a voice that put a chill in the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom.

 _"Come… come to me… Let me rip you… Let me tear you… Let me kill you…"_

"Oi!" Filch's voice cut through and Alicia turned to him. Filch demanded she pick up the shield and polish it to perfection. Alicia didn't argue but kept looking at the celling, listening for the voice. Ron glanced at her over and over but it wasn't until Alicia had done three more shields and five trophies that Filch went back to his inspection.

"What was that about?" Ron demanded

"Didn't you hear it?" Alicia questioned

"Hear what?" Ron asked

"That voice!"

"What voice?"

"It was like a… I don't know I heard a voice." Alicia looked back at the celling before she shivered "An awfully cold voice." she whispered. "Didn't you hear it?" Ron shook his head and Alicia bit her lip.

She looked at Ron once more who looked confused before she went back to polishing and didn't say anything else for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup Potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Oliver Wood's enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was not dampened, even Alicia's mood was beginning to sink, though she had surpassed the twins bet on her enthusiasm lasting a week.

It was Woods determination that had Harry and Alicia, late one stormy Saturday afternoon a few days before Halloween, returning to Gryffindor Tower, drenched to the skin and splattered with mud.

Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn't been a happy practice session. Fred and George, who had been spying on the Slytherin team, had seen for themselves the speed of those new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. They reported that the Slytherin team was no more than seven greenish blurs, shooting through the air like missiles. This of course caused Wood to put pressure on Alicia with her firebolt, even Harry with his nimbus two-thousand was receiving Wood's pushing methods.

As they squelched along the deserted corridor, Alicia still wringing water from her hair, they came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as they were. Nearly Head-less Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, "… don't fulfil their requirements… half an inch, if that…"

"Hello, Nick," said Harry.

"Hi Sir Nicholas." Alicia said more politely. Nick loved his formalities.

"Hello, hello," said Nearly Headless Nick, starting and looking round. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. He was pale as smoke, and the two twelve year olds could see right through him to the dark sky and torrential rain outside.

"You look troubled, young Potter," said Nick, folding a transparent letter as he spoke and tucking it inside his doublet.

"So do you," said Harry.

"Ah," Nearly Headless Nick waved an elegant hand, "a matter of no importance… It's not as though I really wanted to join…Thought I'd apply, but apparently I 'don't fulfil requirements' —"

In spite of his airy tone, there was a look of great bitterness on his face. Alicia and Harry shared a confused glance.

"But you would think, wouldn't you," he erupted suddenly, pulling the letter back out of his pocket, "that getting hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe would qualify you to join the Headless Hunt?"

"Oh — yes," said Harry and Alicia, who were obviously supposed to agree.

"Headless hunt?" Harry whispered

"I think it's some party for ghosts with their heads cut off." Alicia whispered

"I mean, nobody wishes more than I do that it had all been quick and clean, and my head had come off properly, I mean, it would have saved me a great deal of pain and ridicule. However —" Nearly Headless Nick shook his letter open and read furiously:

" _'We can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted company with their bodies. You will appreciate that it would be impossible otherwise for members to participate in hunt activities such as Horseback Head-Juggling and Head Polo. It is with the greatest regret, therefore, that I must inform you that you do not fulfil our requirements. With very best wishes, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore.'_ "

Fuming, Nearly Headless Nick stuffed the letter away.

"Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Harry! Most people would think that's good and beheaded, but oh, no, it's not enough for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore."

Nearly Headless Nick took several deep breaths and then said, in a far calmer tone, "So — what's bothering you? Anything I can do?"

"No," said Harry. "Not unless you know where we can get seven free Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones for our match against Sly —" The rest of Harry's sentence was drowned out by a high-pitched mewling from somewhere near his ankles. Alicia and Harry looked down and found a pair of lamp-like yellow eyes looking back. It was Mrs. Norris, the skeletal grey cat who was used by the caretaker, Argus Filch, as a sort of deputy in his endless battle against students.

"Uh oh…" Alicia muttered stepping away from the cat.

"You'd better get out of here, Harry, Alicia," said Nick quickly. "Filch isn't in a good mood — he's got the flu and some third years accidentally plastered frog brains all over the ceiling in dungeon five. He's been cleaning all morning, and if he sees you dripping mud all over the place —" Alicia looked down at herself and nodded in agreement.

"Right," said Harry, backing away from the accusing stare of Mrs. Norris,

"Bye Nick." Alicia turned to leave, but wasn't quickly enough. Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed to connect him with his foul cat, Argus Filch burst suddenly through a tapestry to their right, wheezing and looking wildly about for the rule-breaker. There was a thick tartan scarf bound around his head, and his nose was unusually purple.

"Filth!" he shouted, his jowls aquiver, his eyes popping alarmingly as he pointed at the muddy puddle that had dripped from Harry and Alicia's Quidditch robes. "Mess and muck everywhere! I've had enough of it, I tell you! Follow me, Potter! Evans!"

Alicia sighed.

The two waved a gloomy good-bye to Nearly Headless Nick and followed Filch back downstairs, doubling the number of muddy footprints on the floor.

Neither second year had ever been inside Filch's office before; it was a place most students avoided. The room was dingy and windowless, lit by a single oil lamp dangling from the low ceiling. A faint smell of fried fish lingered about the place. Wooden filing cabinets stood around the walls; from their labels, they contained details of every pupil Filch had ever punished. Fred and George Weasley had an entire drawer to themselves. A highly polished collection of chains and manacles hung on the wall behind Filch's desk. It was common knowledge that he was always begging Dumbledore to let him suspend students by their ankles from the ceiling.

Filch grabbed a quill from a pot on his desk and began shuffling around looking for parchment.

"Dung," he muttered furiously, "great sizzling dragon bogies… frog brains… rat intestines… I've had enough of it… make an _example…_ where's the form…yes…"

Alicia glanced at Harry as Filch muttered to himself. She was wet, muddy and cold and wanted the warmth of her bed. She wasn't in the mood to be punished for attending a Quidditch practice.

Filch retrieved two large rolls of parchment from his desk drawer and stretched them out in front of him, dipping his long black quill into the ink pot.

" _Name…_ Harry Potter… Alicia Evans… _Crime…_ "

"It was only a bit of mud!" said Harry.

"It's only a bit of mud to you, boy, but to me it's an extra hour scrubbing!" shouted Filch, a drip shivering unpleasantly at the end of his bulbous nose. " _Crime…_ befouling the castle… _suggested sentence…_ " he wrote on both, one after the other as he went down the parchment.

Dabbing at his streaming nose, Filch squinted unpleasantly at Harry and Alicia, who waited for his sentence to fall.

But as Filch lowered his quill, there was a great BANG! on the ceiling of the office, which made the oil lamp rattle.

"PEEVES!" Filch roared, flinging down his quill in a transport of rage. "I'll have you this time, I'll have you!"

And without a backward glance at Harry or Alicia, Filch ran flat-footed from the office, Mrs. Norris streaking alongside him.

Peeves was the school poltergeist, a grinning, airborne menace who lived to cause havoc and distress. Alicia was trying not to laugh and as soon as Filch was gone, she let it out. Hopefully, whatever Peeves had done (and it sounded as though he'd wrecked something very big this time) would distract Filch from the two.

"Should we wait?" Harry wondered

"Unless we want more trouble…" Alicia sighed. So Harry sank into a moth-eaten chair next to the desk and Alicia sat on the arm next to him. There was only one thing on Filch's desk apart from their half-completed forms: a large, glossy, purple envelope with silver lettering on the front. With a quick glance at the door to check that Filch wasn't on his way back, Harry picked up the envelope and read:

 _KWIKSPELL_

 _A Correspondence Course in Beginners' Magic_

Harry glanced at Alicia before he leaned forwards and picked it up, he flicked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of parchment inside. More curly silver writing on the front page said:

 _Feel out of step in the world of modern magic? Find yourself making excuses not to perform simple spells? Ever been taunted for your woeful wandwork?  
There is an answer! _

_Kwikspell is an all-new, fail-safe, quick-result, easy-learn course. Hundreds of witches and wizards have benefited from the Kwikspell method!_

 _Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes:  
"I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke! Now, after a Kwikspell course, I am the centre of attention at parties and friends beg for the recipe of my Scintillation Solution!" _

_Warlock D. J. Prod of Didsbury says:  
"My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I succeeded in turning her into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!" _

"Kwiskspell…" Alicia muttered as she turned away from the envelope… she'd heard of it and was confused as to why Filch needed help with magic. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen Filch use any.

Harry thumbed through the rest of the envelope's contents. Why on earth did Filch want a… Alicia tapped Harry as she heard footsteps. Filch was coming back as Harry was still reading. Stuffing the parchment back into the envelope, Harry threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened.

Filch was looking triumphant.

"That vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable!" he was saying gleefully to Mrs. Norris. "We'll have Peeves out this time, my sweet —"

His eyes fell on Harry and Alicia and then darted to the Kwikspell envelope, which, Harry realised too late, was lying two feet away from where it had started. Alicia held back biting her lip, hoping he wouldn't notice.

Filch's pasty face went brick red. Yeah he noticed. The two shared a look and braced themselves for a tidal wave of fury. Filch hobbled across to his desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into a drawer.

"Have you — did you read — ?" he sputtered.

"No," Harry lied quickly. Alicia said the same, a look of fake confusion on her face.

Filch's knobbly hands were twisting together.

"If I thought you'd read my private — not that it's mine — for a friend — be that as it may — however —"

Filch had never looked madder. His eyes were popping, a tic was going in one of his pouchy cheeks, and the tartan scarf didn't help.

"Very well — go — and don't breathe a word — not that — however, if you didn't read — go now, I have to write up Peeves' report — go —"

Amazed at their luck, the two sped out of the office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Filch's office without punishment was probably some kind of school record.

"Yes!" Alicia cheered silently grinning at Harry who smiled suddenly also.

"Harry! Alicia! Did it work?"

Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Harry could see the wreckage of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height.

"I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch's office," said Nick eagerly. "Thought it might distract him —"

"Nicholas you genius!" Alicia grinned, she wanted to give the ghost a high five but of course, ghosts couldn't be touched and people felt freezing cold when they touched the smoky figures.

"Was that you?" said Harry gratefully. "Yeah, it worked, I didn't even get detention. Thanks, Nick!"

"Not even a word about punishment." Alicia laughed

They set off up the corridor together. Nearly Headless Nick, Harry noticed, was still holding Sir Patrick's rejection letter.

"I wish there was something I could do for you about the Headless Hunt," Harry said.

"Especially after you got us out of trouble." Alicia nodded in agreement

Nearly Headless Nick stopped in his tracks and Harry walked right through him. Alicia managed to step out of the way.

"But there _is_ something you could do for me," said Nick excitedly. "Harry, Alicia — would I be asking too much — but no, you wouldn't want —"

"What is it?" said Harry.

"Well, this Halloween will be my five hundredth deathday," said Nearly Headless Nick, drawing himself up and looking dignified.

"Deathday?" Alicia wondered "You celebrate your deathday?" she asked surprise

"Only certain ones." Nick admitted

"Oh," said Harry, not sure whether he should look sorry or happy about this. "Right."  
"I'm holding a party down in one of the roomier dungeons. Friends will be coming from all over the country. It would be such an _honour_ if you would both attend. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger would be most welcome, too, of course — but I daresay you'd rather go to the school feast?" He watched Harry on tenterhooks.

"No," said Harry and Alicia quickly,

"I'll come —"

"We'd love to come." Alicia smiled

"My dear boy! Harry Potter, at my deathday party! And" — he hesitated, looking excited — "do you think you could _possibly_ mention to Sir Patrick how _very_ frightening and impressive you find me?"

"Definitely." nodded Alicia who looked at Harry

"Of — of course," said Harry.  
Nearly Headless Nick beamed at him.

"A deathday party?" said Hermione keenly when Harry and Alicia had changed at last and joined her and Ron in the common room. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those — it'll be fascinating!"

"It might be a bit cold, and I don't know if they'll be much food, I mean… they're dead." Alicia warned

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron, who was halfway through his Potions homework and grumpy. "Sounds dead depressing to me…"

"Especially if your neck was cut by a blunt axe slowly and painfully." Alicia muttered "Imagine having that happen to you on _Halloween…_ "

Rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework or, in the case of Fred and George Weasley, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander. Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smouldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.

Harry and Alicia were at the point of telling Ron and Hermione about Filch and the Kwikspell course when the salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly round the room. The sight of Percy bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander's mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions was more then entertaining. Alicia was laughing so hard she couldn't sit up, but she did manage to hold her hand up for a high five from both twins.

* * *

By the time Halloween arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. Alicia just waved it away, she didn't mind at all. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumours that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

"A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Harry bossily. "You _said_ you'd go to the deathday party."

"You can't get out of it, after all Nick did presume you'd want to go to the feast and you said no. Remember he got us out of trouble." Alicia convinced.

So at seven o'clock, Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons.

The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took. As they approached, what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard could be heard.

"Is that supposed to be _music_?" Ron whispered.

"I think it is." Alicia muttered as she cringed at the sound.

They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes.

"My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome… so pleased you could come…"

He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside.

It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, wanting to warm up his feet.

"Careful not to walk through anyone," said Ron nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor.

"Yeah remember what that felt like?" Alicia muttered "It's cold enough."

They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. The Bloody Baron, a gaunt, staring Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains, was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts. He was the only one who could control Peeves.

"Oh, no," said Hermione, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle —"

"Hermione." Alicia hissed "She's dead and still being called names. Can't you just call her Myrtle." she scolded.

"Who?" said Harry as they backtracked quickly.

"She haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," said Hermione.

"She haunts a _toilet_?"

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you —"

"I've been in there a couple of times and as long as you don't upset her it should be fine." Alicia said giving Hermione a pointed look.

"Look, food!" said Ron.

On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly but next moment had stopped in their tracks, horrified. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mould and, in pride of place, an enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words,

 _Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington_

 _Died 31st October, 1492_

They watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked him.

"Almost," said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away.  
"I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavour," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis.

"Crap…" Alicia muttered turning away from it

"Can we move? I feel sick," said Ron.

They had barely turned around, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them.

"Hello, Peeves," said Harry cautiously.

Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face.

"Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus.

"No thanks," said Hermione.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. " _Rude_ you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!"

"This is why you be nice." Alicia said

"Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it, I don't mind her — er, hello, Myrtle."

The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face one had ever seen, half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles.

"What?" she said sulkily.

"Hey Myrtle." Alicia smiled

"How are you, Myrtle?" said Hermione in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

Myrtle sniffed.

"Miss Granger was just talking about you —" said Peeves slyly in Myrtle's ear.

"Just saying — saying — how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves.

Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously.

"You're making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes.

"That's a terrible thing to do Myrtle, Hermione wouldn't." Alicia smiled, standing next to the ghost. "She was being genuine."

"No — honestly — didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" said Hermione, nudging Harry and Ron painfully in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah —"

"She did —"

"Don't lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply," Peeves hissed in her ear.

"Peeves!" Alicia snapped angrily

Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with mouldy peanuts, yelling, " _Pimply_! _Pimply_!"

"Oh, dear," said Hermione sadly.

"Imagine, you're teased when your alive and can't even escape it when you're dead." Alicia sighed with a frown.

Nearly Headless Nick now drifted toward them through the crowd.

"Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yes," they lied.

"Not a bad turnout," said Nearly Headless Nick proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent… It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra…"

The orchestra, however, stopped playing at that very moment. They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement, as a hunting horn sounded.

"Oh, here we go," said Nearly Headless Nick bitterly.

"The Headless Hunt?" Alicia asked and Nick nodded

Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly; Harry started to clap, too, but stopped quickly at the sight of Nick's face.

The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck.

"Nick!" he roared. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?"

He gave a hearty guffaw and clapped Nearly Headless Nick on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Patrick," said Nick stiffly.

"Live 'uns!" said Sir Patrick, spotting Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione and giving a huge, fake jump of astonishment, so that his head fell off again (the crowd howled with laughter).

"Very amusing," said Nearly Headless Nick darkly.

"Don't mind Nick!" shouted Sir Patrick's head from the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say — look at the fellow —"

"I think," said Harry hurriedly, at a meaningful look from Nick, "Nick's very — frightening and — er —"

"Ha!" yelled Sir Patrick's head. "Bet he asked you to say that!"

"Just because you're head isn't on your shoulders doesn't make you better then anyone. It just makes you incomplete." Alicia said, her arms crossed "So far Sir Nicholas far surpasses you. You only make people laugh by being stupid. Honestly, your head rolling off your shoulders." Alicia rolled her eyes, her face looking very disappointed by the ghost.

Sir Patrick looked at her surprised, his eyes going from her to Nick as she met his eyes, hers hard. Nick looked impressed and smiled.

"If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech!" said Nearly Headless Nick loudly, striding toward the podium and climbing into an icy blue spotlight.

"My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…"

But nobody heard much more. Sir Patrick and the rest of the Headless Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey and the crowd were turning to watch. Nearly Headless Nick tried vainly to recapture his audience, but gave up as Sir Patrick's head went sailing past him to loud cheers.

Alicia glared at the headless ghosts.

"How rude." she muttered.

"I can't stand much more of this," Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor.

"Let's go," Harry agreed.

"Let's just look sad to leave." Alicia nodded

They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall.

And then Alicia heard it.

"… _rip…_ _tear…_ _kill_ …" It was the same as it had been during her detention in the trophy room.

Alicia and Harry stumbled to a halt, Harry clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway while Alicia looked up at the celling.

"Harry, what're you — ?"

"Alicia —"

"It's that voice again — shut up a minute —"

".… _soo hungry…_ _for so long…_ "

"Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching them both

"… _kill…_ _time to kill…_ "

The voice was growing fainter.

"It's moving away." Alicia realised as it went upwards.

"This way," Harry shouted, and he and Alicia began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry and Alicia sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Ron and Hermione clattering behind him.

"Harry, what're we —"

"SHH!"

They came to a stop and Alicia and Harry listened some more. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice: "… _I smell blood…_ _I SMELL BLOOD_!"

"It's going to kill someone!" Alicia and Harry shouted, and ignoring Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces, they ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over their pounding footsteps —

The two hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Ron and Hermione panting behind then, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Harry, _what_ was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything…"

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

" _Look_!"

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

"What's that thing — hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.

As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped — there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Ron and Hermione grabbed him while Alicia walked straight up to the bundle.

All four of them realised what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."

"We need to leave, before Filch catches us." Alicia agreed

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

Alicia let out an irritated sigh. And here they were, getting in trouble again, for not leaving something alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Harry.

" _You_!" he screeched. " _You_! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —"

" _Argus_!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Alicia stopped dead for a split second as she entered the office. The walls were covered in photographs of himself, several of which dodged out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…"

Alicia wanted to tell him to shut his trap as his words were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Alicia couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him.

Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened: She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

"… I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…"

The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net.

At last Dumbledore straightened up.

"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore

"Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart.

"But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask _them_!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Alicia and Harry.

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —"

"He did it! She did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! They found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.

"I never _touched_ Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls.

"I'd much rather run away from her to be honest." Alicia admitted "I couldn't hurt someone's pet." she looked as though it was a disgusting thing.

"And I don't even know what a Squib _is_." Harry admitted

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Alicia pursed her lips, glancing at Harry, nothing Snape had to say was going to do, Harry at least, any good.

"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Alicia, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. "… there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there —"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry and Alicia, who shared a look.

"Because — because —" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast. They couldn't tell about the voice they heard and followed. They wouldn't believe it, "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed," Harry said.

"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said, gliding past Alicia as usual. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

Alicia's glare was worse then Professor McGonagall's.

"Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore was giving Harry and Alicia a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Alicia think he knew something, without them saying anything.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.

Snape looked furious. So did Filch.

"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some _punishment_!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently.

"Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"

"Excuse me," said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause and Alicia was trying very hard not to laugh, giving Lockhart a smug look.

"You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione. They went, as quickly as they could without actually running.

When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them.

"D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?" Harry asked

"No," said Ron, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

Something in Ron's voice made Harry ask, "You do believe me, don't you?"

" 'Course I do," said Ron quickly. "Alicia clearly heard it too." he pointed to her as she frowned, confused as to why no one else could hear it. "But — you must admit it's weird…"

"I know it's weird," said Harry. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? 'The Chamber Has Been Opened'… What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it rings a sort of bell," said Ron slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might've been Bill…"

"Well, they'll probably be something of a reference." Alicia said to Hermione who nodded immediately

"And what on earth's a Squib?" said Harry.

To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger.

"Well — it's not funny really — but as it's Filch," he said. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much." Ron gave a satisfied smile. "He's bitter."

"Jealous." Alicia nodded

A clock chimed somewhere.

"Midnight," said Harry. "We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

* * *

For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Alicia had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. When Filch wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly" and "looking happy."

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover.

"But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking —" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

Alicia did a much better job at comforting the girl, saying it was going to be alright, it wasn't her fault and that hopefully, no one else could get hurt.

The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. Nor could Harry and Ron get much response from her when they asked what she was up to. Alicia however knew exactly what she was doing, having joined her a couple of times and knowing what each book she was reading contained. Not until the following Wednesday did the boys find out as well.

Alicia and Ron were in the library, Ron measuring his History of Magic homework when Harry walked in. Professor Binns had asked for a three-foot-long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards."

"I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short…" said Ron furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. "And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's _tiny._ Not to mention Alicia's." Ron pointed at her and Harry gave her a look.

"It's exactly three foot." Alicia shrugged

"But your writings just as small as Hermione's." Ron complained. Alicia shrugged

"Where is she?" asked Harry, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling his own homework.

"Somewhere over there," said Ron, pointing along the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas."

Harry told Ron and Alicia about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him.

"That's weird… it wouldn't be because of Mrs Norris could it…?" Alicia wondered

"Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot," said Ron, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible. "All that junk about Lockhart being so great —"

Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them.

" _All_ the copies of _Hogwarts, A History_ have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I _wish_ I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"Why do you want it?" said Harry.

"The same reason everyone else wants it," said Hermione, "to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

"What's that?" said Harry quickly.

"That's just it. I can't remember," said Hermione, biting her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else —"

"So borrow my book. It's in our dormitory." Alicia admitted "Why didn't you ask ages ago?"

"Hermione, let me read your composition," said Ron desperately, checking his watch.

"No, I won't," said Hermione, suddenly severe. "You've had ten days to finish it —"

"I only need another two inches, come on —"

The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering, it was broken by Alicia.

"Hermione!" she said suddenly getting her attention "We can ask Mr Binns."

"Ask him what?" Hermione asked. Alicia rolled her eyes

"About the chamber of Secrets. He was probably here when the legend was created. He can tell us."

History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shrivelled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staffroom fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.

Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand.

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

"Miss — er — ?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice. Alicia was watching Professor Binns with anticipation.

Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk.

Professor Binns blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with, _facts,_ Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk snapping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers —"

He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again.

"Miss Grant?"

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

"All legends have a depth of truth behind them." Alicia nodded in agreement  
Professor Binns was looking at the two girls in such amazement. It seemed like no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead. "Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very _sensational,_ even _ludicrous_ tale —"

"Then telling us couldn't have any harm in it." Alicia said "If it is sensational, legend or fact." Alicia interrupted. "After all you probably know better then anyone else, being a history teacher.

Professor Binns looked at her and then at the whole class, they were now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. You could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see… the Chamber of Secrets…

"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more _selective_ about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

"Shock horror." Alicia muttered to Harry.

Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Alicia pursed her lips, doubting that they'd be able to find it just by looking, obviously Slytherin would do something to stop others from finding it.

Hermione's hand was back in the air.

"Sir — what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," said Seamus Finnigan, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else _would_ be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing —"

"As far as history says, we haven't had a Slytherin headmaster that was biased and able to find the chamber." Alicia added, interrupting him.

"But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it —"

"Or at least something rare not many could do." Alicia nodded

"Just because a wizard _doesn't_ use Dark Magic doesn't mean he _can't,_ Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore —"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't —" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to _history,_ to solid, believable, verifiable _fact_!"

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor.

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron told Harry, Alicia and Hermione as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his House if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got the train straight back home…"

Hermione nodded fervently, but Harry didn't say anything.

Alicia looked at Harry, noticing the look on his face. Harry looked at her and she gave him a questioning glance, to which he shook his head.

"Later then." she whispered, glancing at the other two.

As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevey went past.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," said Harry automatically.

"Harry — Harry — a boy in my class has been saying you're —" But Colin was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione wondered.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," said Harry,

"That's just ludicrous." Alicia rolled her eyes, imitating Professor Binns.

"People here'll believe anything," said Ron in disgust.

The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.

"D'you _really_ think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be — well — human."

"But it was clearly not something he'd seen a lot of as he had to pod and poke her for a while." Alicia added

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened."

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered. They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.

Alicia walked slowly down the corridor, her eyes trailing over the walls.

"Why are we getting involved again?" Alicia asked with a smirk. Harry sent her a look before he turned back to the floor.

"Scorch marks!" Harry said. "Here — and here —"

"Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny…" Alicia stood beside her as Harry got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly.

"No…" Alicia said, her eyebrows furrowed

"No," said Harry, "have you, Ron? Ron?"

He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.

"Oh really?" Alicia asked with a sigh, understanding why he was so far away.

"What's up?" said Harry.

"I — don't — like — spiders," said Ron tensely.

"I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise.

"You've used spiders in Potions loads of times…"

"I don't mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move…"

Hermione giggled while Alicia chuckled.

"It's not funny," said Ron, fiercely.

"Usually it's teenage girls who are afraid of spiders." Alicia admitted "So it's a little funny."

"If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my — my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick… You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and…"

He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh. Alicia had fully given in.

"Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up." Harry said

"It was about here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door."

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"Can't go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," said Hermione, standing up and coming over.

"You're not going to walk in on anyone in _this_ bathroom." Alicia said as she opened the door and walked in.

"Why not?"

"That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look." Ignoring the large out of order sign, Hermione followed Alicia.

It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom most people had been in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.

Hermione put her fingers to her lips. Alicia however walked up to the end of the stall.

"Hey Myrtle." Alicia smiled "How are you?" Hermione followed Alicia. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.

"This is a _girls'_ bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously as they stood behind the girls. " _They're_ not girls."

"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how — er — nice it is in here."

She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor. Alicia gave Hermione a look who shrugged.

"Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione.

"What are you whispering?" said Myrtle, staring at him.

"Nothing," said Harry quickly. "We wanted to ask —"

"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. "I _do_ have feelings, you know, even if I _am_ dead —"

"Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," said Hermione. "Harry only —"

"No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" howled Myrtle. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"

"Myrtle will you stop assuming everyone's trying to be mean to you and listen to our explanation." Alicia snapped "How do you expect anyone to be nice to you if you don't even give them the chance." Myrtle looked at her slightly surprised "I know some people are mean but not everyone is like that." she said softer "Now, we have something to ask you if that's alright." she said simply. Myrtle looked Alicia who turned to Hermione.

"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately," said Hermione quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."

"Did you see anyone near here that night?" said Harry.

"I wasn't paying attention," said Myrtle dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to _kill_ myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm — that I'm —"

"Already dead," said Ron helpfully.

"Ron," Alicia groaned. They found out why as Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U-bend.

Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged wearily while Alicia sighed annoyed.

"Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle…" Hermione said

"I'm going to completely loose my temper if she continues to accuse me of being a bully. I'm not Malfoy for gods sake." Alicia admitted

"Come on, let's go."

Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all four of them jump.

"RON!"

Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face.

"That's a _girls'_ bathroom!" he gasped. "What were _you_ — ?"

"Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know —"

"We were talking to Myrtle." Alicia admitted as she raised her wet robes as proof.

Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Alicia of Mrs. Weasley.

"Get — away — from — there —" Percy said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you _care_ what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner —"

"Why shouldn't we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!"

"That's what I told Ginny," said Percy fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of _her,_ all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business —"

" _You_ don't care about Ginny," said Ron, whose ears were now reddening. " _You're_ just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy —"

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more _detective work,_ or I'll write to Mum!"

And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears.

"You ever turn out like that and I'm disowning you." Alicia said to Harry softly, who nodded in agreement.

"What?" Hermione asked confused. Harry and Alicia turned to her

"Nothing." they chorused before moving down the corridor.

"That was a perfect opportunity." Alicia muttered as they walked ahead of the confused two "What's wrong with me?"

"It's not just you." Harry assured "I haven't tried to tell them either."

"It's not even that big a deal is it?" Alicia wondered

"Dumbledore told us to keep it a secret…"

"But this is Ron and Hermione." Alicia said obviously. Harry sighed.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ shut. To Harry and Alicia's surprise, Hermione followed suit.

"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who'd _want_ to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?"

"Let's think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced.

"If you're talking about Malfoy —"  
"Of course I am!" said Ron. "You heard him — ' _You'll be next, Mudbloods_!' — come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him —"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically.

"Actually Hermione, it's not that unbelievable." Alicia admitted "Though not because of the rat face…" Alicia said pointedly to Ron

"Look at his family," said Harry, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son…"

"And as Harry said, Malfoy's _happy_ to be in Slytherin." Alicia grimaced at the thought.

"Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it's possible…"

"But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly.

"There might be a way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect —"

"Hermione, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you are." Alicia admitted

"We don't have other way of finding out." Hermione admitted

"Yeah but don't you think thats a bit farfetched, even for us. I mean, you do realise what we have to do… plus if we're caught at _any_ part of the process we'll probably be kicked out." Alicia warned.

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" said Ron irritably and he and Harry watched the two.

"All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realising it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed.

"No, it's not," said Hermione and Alicia. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" said Ron and Harry together.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago —"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" muttered Ron.

"You're in a class room Ron, you're supposed to listen." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him."

"This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," said Ron, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?"

"It wears off after a while," said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently.

"That's not the problem with this potion." Alicia admitted

"Getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult." Hermione nodded "Snape said it was in a book called _Moste Potente Potions_ and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library."

There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher.

"Not to mention the ingredients," Alicia rolled her eyes "I bet you anything we're gonna have to steal them from Snape. Something from the restricted section wont have easily accessible ingredients."

"Can we get the book first?" Hermione asked

"Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," said Ron, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."  
"I think," said Hermione, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance…"

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron.

"They'd have to be really thick…"

"I think I know a teacher like that." Alicia said monotony.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.

Alicia had never moved from her seat when Lockhart picked on her to help, but Hermione was more then willing to get closer to the teacher.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.

"Nice loud howl, Harry — exactly — and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced — like this — _slammed_ him to the floor — thus — with one hand, I managed to hold him down — with my other, I put my wand to his throat — I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm — he let out a piteous moan — go on, Harry — higher than that — good — the fur vanished — the fangs shrank — and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective — and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.

"Homework — compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of _Magical Me_ to the author of the best one!"

The class began to leave.

"Hermione let me read your poem when you're done." Alicia said

"Why?" Hermione asked

"So I can make sure mine doesn't surpass it." she admitted.

Harry returned to the back of the room, where Alicia, Ron and Hermione were waiting.

"Ready?" Harry muttered.

"Wait till everyone's gone," said Hermione nervously. "All right…"

She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Alicia, Harry and Ron right behind her.

"Er — Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to — to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it — I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in _Gadding with Ghouls_ about slow-acting venoms —"

"Ah, _Gadding with Ghouls_!" said Lockhart, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favourite book. You enjoyed it?"

"Oh, yes," said Hermione eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer —"

"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. "Yes, nice, isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book signings."

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.

"So, Harry," said Lockhart, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…"

"Less able players?" Alicia couldn't help but say annoyed, Ron grabbed her arm and yanked on it, dragging her for the room.

Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.

"I don't believe it," he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even _look_ at the book we wanted."

"That's because he's a brainless _git,_ " said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed —"

"He is _not_ a brainless git," said Hermione shrilly as they half ran toward the library.

"Yeah right." Alicia said "He think's he's the best at _everything._ Half the teachers are pissed at him cause he tries to tell them how to do their job." she rolled her eyes.  
"Just because he said you were the best student of the year —" They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture.

" _Moste Potente Potions_?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.

Hermione opened _Moste Potente Potions_ carefully, Alicia sitting next to her and the boys peering over their shoulders. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

"Here it is," said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed _The Polyjuice Potion._ It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people.

"This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen," said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn — don't know where we're going to get that — shredded skin of a boomslang — that'll be tricky, too — and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking _nothing_ with Crabbe's toenails in it —"

Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…"

Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.

"Look at this Hermione, I told you. If it's in the restricted section then the ingredients wouldn't be in the storage cupboard." Alicia said strongly

"D'you realise how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea…"

"Seems we don't have a choice." Alicia admitted

Hermione shut the book with a snap.

"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. " _I_ don't want to break rules, you know. _I_ think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in —"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days… I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"We can get the ingredients." Alicia assured as she looked at Harry "Harry and I have snuck past Snape many times remember."

"A month?" said Ron. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!"

"I don't think so, it's been quite a bit since Mrs Norris and he has all year. Probably wants to enjoy himself." Alicia rolled her eyes in disgust. Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again.

"But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say." he said

However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry and Alicia, "It'll be a lot less hassle if one of you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow."

"It'd be a pleasure." Alicia assured.

* * *

Alicia was up early and ready, walking down to breakfast alone the next morning. Not many other students were there and Alicia sat down at the table in front of some breakfast.

She took quite a few deep breaths, her nerves were rising fast as she realised she was about to play her first game of Quidditch. Ever. And it was against Slytherin.

Alicia tried to remember what she'd told Harry this time last year. Have fun and ignore everyone else. It was a lot harder to follow her own advice. She reminded herself she had the fastest broom so far and that she'd made the Weasley twins watch out for her. Wood had agreed, as she was on the fastest broom, the Slytherins might try and knock her off.

Alicia stared at her food, she'd remembered forcing Harry to eat some last year and realised why he wouldn't eat. She took a deep breath and began to dig in. She wasn't going to have an empty stomach, she needed energy.

The team gathered around her, they didn't look much better then she.

Harry was the last out of them to arrive and he sat beside Alicia.

"How you feeling?" Harry asked

"Uh… I know why you wouldn't eat anything last year." she admitted. Harry smirked slightly

"But… I… I think I'll be alright… I mean, you're a seeker, and dad was a chaser so…" She muttered

"Dad was a chaser?" Harry asked surprised. Alicia nodded

"I found a shield in the trophy room with his name on it… you know during my detention." she took another deep breath and filled her mouth with food.

"Um… why did you look worried before? When Hermione and Ron were talking about being in Slytherin?" Harry looked at her "I need a distraction." she admitted looking around as a few more people filed into the room.

"Oh… um… well… last year when we were sorted… the Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin."

"Really?" Alicia asked. Harry nodded

"I asked it not too." he admitted

"I was almost put in Ravenclaw." Alicia shrugged "It's alright, you didn't end up there so there's no point worrying about it." her face grew worried again "I'm worrying about it again." she groaned "I just had to get the best broom available didn't I. Don't let me spend money like that again!" she snapped at Harry who smiled slightly.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry and Alicia good luck as they entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better _people_ on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers —"

"Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August."

"— and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team."

Alicia laughed slightly

"Plus, we have a Firebolt." and the laughter was gone, replaced with the pressure.

Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.

"It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure, Harry," said Fred, winking at him.

"Well, makes me feel better they're relying more on you." Alicia said patting his shoulder.

As they walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three… two… one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

Angelina had the quaffle first and Alicia sped after her. Alicia went straight past, slowed down and Angelina passed to her.

Alicia scored the first goal in the minute. The stands cheered as Alicia readied for the Slytherins to have the quaffle, doing as Wood instructed and flying to the other end of the field.

As she did, she noticed Harry dropped quickly to avoid a bludger, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. The Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the field. But the bludger was still following.

"George!"

"It's not us!" George assured her.

Alicia prayed the Weasley's would keep Harry okay and turned to the game. The Slytherins kept taking the Quaffle, the speed of their brooms making it hard for Angelina and Katie to keep up.

Alicia intercepted the ball as it began to rain. She dogged several players and a bludger before it was taken from her as she closed in on the goal post. She shot off after the Slytherin player but Wood wasn't able to stop the Quaffle.

The game continued with Alicia fighting with the Slytherin Chasers, Angelina and Katie backing her up. Unfortunately, the Slytherin's scored more then Alicia had the chance to.

It didn't help either that the Slytherin beaters were beating the single bludger at them all. Fred and George were too busy keeping the rouge bludger from killing Harry. Alicia glanced at them every now and then but didn't have time to keep an eye.

Madam Hooch's whistle rang out suddenly and Alicia turned to see Wood calling time. She immediately dropped to the ground after Harry, Fred and George, the three still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said George angrily.

"It's gone rouge." Alicia nodded

"Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously.

"Well someone's done something." Alicia admitted "Even I managed to see them beating it around."

"Alicia we're sorry." Katie admitted

"For what?" Alicia asked confused. The two other chasers sighed.

"We currently have a huge problem, not only are their brooms proving to out match us but with the rouge bludger we're kinda down three players almost."

"I can't spot the snitch while running from a bludger." Harry nodded.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, the Slytherin team were jeering and pointing in their direction.

"Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

"You can't fly away from it all game." Alicia shook her head.

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.

"Oliver, this is insane," said Angelina angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry —"

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"Harry…" Harry shot Alicia a look and she sighed, then looked at Wood.

"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. " 'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him —"

Madam Hooch had joined them.

"Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face.

"All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."

"How about, you keep an eye on him and only interfere when it's completely severe and I start freaking out." Alicia added "He can fly from the bludger on his broom but if it gets too close…"

Alicia sighed, what a great first game this was turning out to be.

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Alicia kicked hard into the air, sharing a worried look with Harry as they heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him.

Alicia moved through the game and managed to score several points. She kept an eye on Angelina and Katie, suddenly going past when the Slytherin's closed in. She tried to keep changing her tactics as Wood has told her so that the Slytherin's couldn't catch on.

She squinted through the rain, every now and then looking at Harry who was flying around like a bullet everywhere, the crowd laughing at him as he looked like he'd began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium.

Alicia had the Quaffle taken from her as she was distracted by the other bludger, which George hit at one of the Slytherin chasers when she looked up.

"Harry!" Harry glanced at her before the bludger smashed right into his arm. She gasped as he slid sideways on his broom.

"Fred!" Alicia shouted as the bludger ran back at him. Fred, who had been speeding past her and heard, sped up to Harry and knocked the bludger away, giving Harry time to dive straight at Malfoy who was laughing at Harry.

Alicia, angry, pelted through the air at the chaser currently with the Quaffle, who happened to be a Slytherin and knocked it out of his hand, picked it up and sped, faster then the Slytherin brooms could keep up with, to the goal posts.

The Quaffle went right through the left post and Alicia turned in time to see Harry hit the mud. She saw the glint of gold in his hand and dived down towards him. She jumped off her broom about a meter from the ground and pulled her wand out of her robes.

" _Reducto_!" the bludger, which had been aiming straight for Harry's face exploded into pieces.

Alicia grabbed Harry's hand and then looked up through the rain. She put her wand to her throat and shouted.

"He's got the snitch!" she took it from his hand and showed it for everyone to see. The crowd irrupted into cheers as Alicia kneeled beside Harry. He was out cold.

"Harry!" she shook him as everyone else landed around her "Harry!" The teachers had come running also and unfortunately, Lockhart was the first one to get to them.

"Harry," Rain still pelting she pointed her wand at Harry, " _Rennervate._ " Harry open his eyes slightly and she let out a relief before chuckling when Harry spoke.

"Oh, no, not you," he moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

" _No_!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…"

"Madam Pomfrey will fix it." Alicia hissed at Lockhart as she helped Harry sit up.

"I don't want a photo of this, Colin," Harry said loudly as they heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times —"

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say —"

"Wood, not now." Alicia sighed

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"Professor—" Alicia protested

"No — don't —" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm. Harry had shut his eyes and Alicia gapped as the people around them gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly.

"What did you do!?" Alicia demanded. Poking out of the end of Harry's robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-coloured rubber glove.

Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing — ah, Miss Evans, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? — and Madam Pomfrey will be able to — er — tidy you up a bit."

Alicia, glaring at Lockhart, helped Harry to his feet and moved him through the crowd, Her's and Harry's brooms in Ron's hands.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second — but growing them back —"

"You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately.

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pyjamas. "You'll have to stay the night…"

Hermione and Alicia waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron helped him into his pyjamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.

"How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff. "If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked."

"Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione.

"Hermione." Alicia ground her teeth "He's a bloody joke." she believed

"No he's not." Hermione snapped "And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?"

"No," said Harry, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anything else either."

As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly.

Hermione, Alicia and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled _Skele_ - _Gro._

"You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

Apparently so was the Skele-Gro, it made Harry cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Alicia, Ron and Hermione to help Harry gulp down some water.

"We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face… he looked ready to kill…"

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly.

"Me too. It's not something a second year should be able to do." Alicia muttered

"You didn't have to blow it up." Hermione said to her. Alicia crossed her arms and huffed.

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"

"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron.

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy."

"I hope not." Alicia grinned

"You were excellent Alicia," Wood congratulated

"Yeah we couldn't keep up with their brooms." Angelina nodded. Alicia grinned.

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!"

Alicia begrudgingly listened.

"We need to figure out a good training method to beat the Slytherin's next time. We can't always count on Harry." Wood said thinking

"We just need a good strategy that doesn't rely on and can beat speed." Alicia shrugged simply.

* * *

Alicia awoke in her four-poster bed and looked around the dark room confused. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and nothing seemed to have woken her. However it seemed sleeping wasn't an option at the moment as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep. Something was nagging at her…

Alicia climbed out of her bed and made her way down to the common room. The team and a couple of others had had a small party and there was a cake or two left, along with some pumpkin juice. Alicia had one of the cakes and some juice before she sat down in an armchair.

And then she heard it.

" _… blood… I smell you… come to me… come…_ " the cake fell from her hand and Alicia sprung to her feet, looking around the room. It seemed to be coming from the floor below them.

Alicia glanced at the dormitories before she moved to the porthole.

"Oh what now!" Alicia spun to the portrait hanging over the Gryffindor porthole "Where are you going?" the fat lady questioned, annoyed she'd been woken up.

"Something's wrong." Alicia admitted "Did someone else leave tonight?" she asked noticing the fat ladies words.

"Yes a small boy. Had some black camera." Alicia's eyes widened and she turned to run down the hall towards Professor McGonagall's office. She knocked furiously and the door opened.

"Miss Evan's what on earth are you doing out of bed!?" Professor McGonagall was furious, standing in her green night gown.

"I'm sorry professor, I woke up and I heard something I felt like something was wrong and I asked the Fat lady if anyone had left the common room tonight as she said a small boy with a camera had and I think it's Collin Creevey, probably going to see Harry in the hospital and I think he's in trouble!" Alicia said all very quickly, her voice and expression clearly panicked. "I'll accept any punishment but we need to find Collin!" Professor McGonagall look at her surprised

"Please."

"Very well." she grabbed a robe and then Alicia followed her down towards the hospital wing before Professor McGonagall came to an abrupt halt.

Alicia looked around her and her hands clapped over her mouth. Collin was lying at the end of the corridor on the stairs, his skin white and his camera over his eyes. He was as stiff as a board, just like Mrs Norris was.

"Miss Evans I need you to go and get Professor Dumbledore immediately." McGonagall ordered. Alicia turned and sprinted to the headmaster's office however she didn't even reach it before she met the Headmaster in the corridor carrying a hot drink.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Alicia called for his attention and he stopped to look at her.

"Miss Evans?" Dumbledore seemed rather calm about her being out of bed.

"It's a long story and I know I'm not meant to be out of bed but, Professor, a boy's been petrified." she admitted and Dumbledore's expression became serious "Professor McGonagall told me to get you." he nodded.

"Of course." and he followed her down the corridor without delay.

"Whom, may I ask, is the boy?"

"Collin Creevey. He's a Gryffindor. A muggle-born." Alicia admitted

"You've heard the stories of the chamber have you?" Alicia nodded

"How did you find him?"

"I… I was woken up by something and I asked the Fat Lady portrait who guards the porthole if anyone else had left the common room tonight. I ran to Professor McGonagall when she said Collin had. We found him on our trek to the hospital on the stairs." she admitted. They arrived to find McGonagall leaning over Collin. Alicia noticed a packet of grapes beside him, all lying over the stairs.

"We need to get him to the hospital wing." Dumbledore ordered. The two nodded and Alicia waited for them to tell her to go back to the common room but they didn't. Each lifted up an end of Collin, Alicia picked up all the grapes and led the way. She opened the doors for the two before they reached the hospital wing.

Alicia glanced at Harry and noticed he was watching them confused. She frowned at him and followed Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. They heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. She took a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over Collin.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva and Miss Evans here found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter." McGonagall looked at Alicia who nodded and turned to Harry. He looked guilty.

"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think… if Alicia hadn't come to me with her worry after finding out Mr Creevey was missing — who knows what might have —"

The three of them stared down at Colin and Alicia frowned at the poor boy. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera and Alicia covered her nose as the acrid smell of burnt plastic reached her.

"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted…"

"What does this _mean,_ Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Alicia looked at them stunned. Again? What did they mean again? She looked at Harry who looked as surprised as she did.

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.

"But, Albus… surely… _who_?"

"The question is not _who_ ," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, _how…_ "

Alicia looked at him confused… did this mean he already knew who it was?

Alicia looked up to see Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than Alicia did.

"But what was Miss Evans doing out of bed?" Madam Pomfrey asked, turning to her.

"I'm sorry, I know. I woke up and I couldn't sleep, I went down to the common room but something felt wrong." she admitted "I'm not really sure how to explain it… I wasn't trying to do anything wrong I…" she looked at Professor Dumbledore before she bowed her head and frowned.

"Trusting your instincts is a wise thing." Dumbledore said, his voice calm and not at all disappointed in her "And by going to a teacher instead of wondering around on your own, even more. Who knows what might have occurred if you hadn't." Dumbledore looked at Collin. "It could have ended much worse."

Alicia looked up at the headmaster but she still looked worried as she looked at Collin.

"For this I do not believe Miss Evans should be punished." Dumbledore looked at McGonagall who nodded and almost gave Alicia a smile.

"However, I will ask professor McGonagall to escort you back." Alicia nodded and looked at Harry who was watching her. She frowned some more as she followed the head of Gryffindor from the hospital wing and back to the Gryffindor Porthole.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Alicia didn't eat breakfast the next morning. She didn't know what to do. It was too early for news of Collin to have spread so no one understood why she looked grave. Alicia, needing something to do, headed for the hospital wing.

"He's not taking visitors Miss Evans." Madam Pomfrey said in a hushed voice.

"I'm here to see Harry." Alicia admitted "Is he allowed any?" she wondered. Madam Pomfrey eyed Alicia before she sighed and nodded.

Harry hadn't awoken yet and Alicia laid her chin on her arms on the bed. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened again? When had it opened before? If Dumbledore knew who it was then it had to be someone recent-ish, at least in the last hundred years… She didn't know how old Dumbledore was but it would have to take a while to grow his beard that long… assuming it didn't take magic.

Assuming it was a long time ago, it would explain why Dumbledore was confused as to how the same person would be able to open it again. Did this mean it wasn't the Malfoy family? If Dumbledore knew who did it before, then he'd know the family line… if he was confused as to how it was happening this time, did this mean there was no family line? There was no other descendant this time around?

Suddenly Alicia doubted very much that it was Malfoy who petrified Collin and Mrs Norris. She looked over at Collin's bed, it was blocked from view by the high curtains Harry had changed behind yesterday.

Alicia looked up as Harry began to move. He opened his eyes and squinted from the sun that was filling the room.

"Morning." she smiled sitting up. Harry turned to her

"Morning. You're up early."

"Had a bit of trouble sleeping." she sighed and turned to where Collin was hidden behind the curtains, Harry followed her gaze.

"How'd you know he was in trouble?" he asked softly

"Cause I heard the voice saying it wanted to kill someone." Alicia admitted in a whisper.

"Is that what woke you up?" Harry asked. Alicia shrugged

"I don't think so. Why were you awake? Did you hear it too?" Harry shook his head

"Dobby paid me a visit last night." he admitted

"The house elf?" Harry nodded "Why?"

"Telling me to leave cause I was in danger because of the chamber being open again."

"Again," Alicia sighed

"He's also the one who stopped the barrier to platform nine and three-quarters and sent that bludger after me." Alicia looked at him surprised

"A house elf did!? All to what? Protect you?" Harry nodded "This Dobby's got a weird way of trying to protect you." Alicia admitted and Harry nodded again in agreement.

The two stopped talking as, seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray. She began bending and stretching his arm and fingers.

"All in order," she said as he clumsily fed himself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."

Harry rushed through his breakfast, got dressed as Alicia waited outside and the two moved off to the Gryffindor tower.

"We need to tell Ron and Hermione about Collin and Dobby." Harry said "Did you tell them?"

"I haven't seen them this morning yet. I woke up before them." Alicia admitted "Haven't been able to get out of my head what Dumbledore said yesterday."

The two arrived at the Gryffindor tower but Ron and Hermione weren't there.

"Where are they?" Harry asked disappointed

"Don't know. Let's check the library." and they headed off that way. They went to the Great Hall as well but they weren't there either. As they reached the corridor for the library, Percy Weasley strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met.

"Oh, hello, Harry," he said. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Alicia you too, nice goals! Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup — you two earned us fifty points!"

"Thanks." Alicia smiled

"You haven't seen Ron or Hermione, have you?" said Harry.

"No, I haven't," said Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another _girls' toilet…_ "

"I doubt that after the talking you gave him." Alicia smiled and Percy looked proud of himself while Harry forced a laugh. They watched him walk away before the two headed straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Why Ron or Hermione would be in there was a mystery but it was worth a shot. After making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, Harry opened the door and the two heard their voices coming from a locked stall.

"What are you two doing in here?" Alicia questioned with a sigh as Harry nudged her after shutting the door

"It's me," he said. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and they saw Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole.

" _Harry_! Alicia!" she said. "You gave us such a fright — come in — how's your arm?"

"Fine," said Harry, as he and Alicia squeezed into the stall. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told the two they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, water-proof fires was a speciality of Hermione's.

"We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."

Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted.

"We already know — we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going —"

"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."

"Did you know I'm the one who told McGonagall to look for Collin?" Alicia asked. Both Ron and Hermione looked at her stunned.

"I heard the voice again last night and the Fat Lady said Collin had left the common room." she admitted "I ran to McGonagall's office and we found Collin on the stairs. I then went to get Dumbledore."

"Alicia you didn't get detention _again_ did you?" Hermione asked

"No. Dumbledore said because I was acting on worried impulses I didn't deserve punishment. I guess I looked really worried because even McGonagall wasn't angry after I explained why I was out of bed."

"There's something else," said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him — or hadn't told him. Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths open.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened _before_?" Hermione said.

"This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious."

"I don't know." Alicia muttered causing everyone to look at her "Last night Dumbledore said, it wasn't ' _who_ ' that was the question as to why Collin was petrified, it was ' _how_ '. If Dumbledore thinks how is a more important question then he must _know_ who. If that's the case then wouldn't he stop it if it was Malfoy?" she asked.

"You've really thought about this haven't you?" Harry realised

"Since I woke up." Alicia nodded "I'm just wondering, if maybe we're jumping the gun. And seeing as Dobby wont tell us who's behind it…" she sighed and shrugged "I don't know." she muttered

"Well, if it's not him we can rule him out and find out who _is_ doing it." Hermione said to her. Alicia nodded.

"Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."

"Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself — pretend to be a suit of armour or something — I've read about Chameleon Ghouls —"

"You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.

"So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm…" He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."

"That's what I said." Alicia nodded.

* * *

The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumour and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.

Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.

Naturally Alicia had been asked to help again.

"You seem to understand her." Ron admitted

"I'm a girl. I'm sure Hermione could do it too." Alicia shrugged "Growing up with brothers she needs a sister."

Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pureblood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.

"They went for Filch first," Neville said, his round face fearful. "And everyone knows I'm almost a Squib."

* * *

In the second week of December Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione signed her list; they had heard that Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious. The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a confession out of him.

Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. Harry privately felt he'd rather face Slytherin's legendary monster than let Snape catch him robbing his office.

"What we need," said Hermione briskly as Thursday afternoon's double Potions lesson loomed nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need."

"Or we could use the invisibility cloak." Alicia shrugged. The three looked at her "It's a lot safer then just walking in."

Harry and Ron looked at the two girls nervously.

"I think I'd better do the actual stealing," Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "You two will be expelled if you get into any more trouble, and I've got a clean record. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so."

Harry smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

"Why don't I just talk to him?" Alicia asked

"Why you?"

"One, he likes to ignore me as though I make him uncomfortable. Two, he hates getting me into trouble." she admitted "haven't you noticed when ever it's Harry and me he always acts as if I had nothing to do with it and pins it on Harry. The car to Hogwarts and the message in the corridor. Pretty sure I played a high part but both times he didn't bother add in my name."

The three shared a look.

"That might be a little obvious though, if someone actually talks to him." Hermione thought "No one does and you don't need to ask him anything and the boys wouldn't even try." Alicia thought before she grinned

"Then we cause havoc in his next class." she grinned.

Potions lessons took place in one of the large dungeons. Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors' work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. Draco Malfoy, who was Snape's favourite student, kept flicking puffer-fish eyes at Ron and Harry, who knew that if they retaliated they would get detention faster than you could say "Unfair."

Alicia however threw quite a few back as Snape just ignored her anyway. As Dumbledore had said last year, it was to do with her mother… Alicia wasn't sure what he meant but he wouldn't elaborate.

Alicia's Swelling Solution was perfect, while Harry's was far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things. They'd come up with a way to distract Snape long enough for Hermione to be able to grab the remaining ingredients they needed. When Snape turned away from Harry's potion and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione caught Harry's eye and nodded.

Alicia kept an eye on Snape as Harry ducked swiftly down behind his cauldron, pulled one of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. The firework began to fizz and sputter. Harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron.

Alicia, grinning, pointed her wand and the fire beneath the cauldron and it grew to three times the size, speeding up the process.

Goyle's potion exploded, showering the whole class. Alicia had held up her wand for a protection charm which covered her, Harry and Ron, leaving them clean of the potion. People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a face-full and his nose began to swell like a balloon; Goyle blundered around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner plate — Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through the confusion, Hermione slipped quietly into Snape's office.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draught — when I find out who did this —"

Harry, Alicia and Ron tried not to laugh as they watched Malfoy hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Hermione slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging.

When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush.

"If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall _make sure_ that person is expelled."

Naturally Snape was looking right at Harry. The bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome.

"He knew it was me," Harry told Alicia, Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "I could tell."

Hermione threw the new ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly.

"No, he just assumes." Alicia corrected

"It'll be ready in two weeks," Hermione said happily.

"Snape can't prove it was you," said Ron reassuringly to Harry. "What can he do?"

"Knowing Snape, something foul," said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled.

* * *

A week later, Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited.

"They're starting a Duelling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind duelling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…"

"Who's in charge?" Alicia wondered

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful," he said to Alicia, Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?"

Alicia, Harry and Hermione were all for it.

"I'd love to beat up a Slytherin." Alicia decided. So at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a duelling champion when he was young — maybe it'll be him."

"As long as it's not —" Harry began, but he and Alicia both ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."

Alicia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear.

"Oh yes please." Alicia agreed from Harry's other side "But one thing I'm really looking froward is for Snape to blast Lockhart."

"Really?" Ron asked

"Lockhart thinks he knows everything remember," Alicia rolled her eyes again "This'll show if he's actually telling the truth or not."

Snape's upper lip was curling. Lockhart was still smiling and Alicia just thought he was more stupid then usual. If Snape had been looking at her like that she'd have been running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.

"One — two — three —"

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: " _Expelliarmus_!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes while Alicia was laughing her head off.

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" said Harry, Alicia and Ron together.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"

Alicia's laugh stopped and she rolled her eyes yet again with a groan.

Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me —"

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter —"

Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.

"I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger — you can partner Miss Bulstrode."

Malfoy strutted over, smirking. Behind him walked a Slytherin girl who looked like a hag _._ She was large and square and her heavy jaw jutted aggressively. Hermione gave her a weak smile that she did not return.

"Miss Evans," Snape said "Mr Goyle." Alicia grinned as Snape turned away.

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"

Alicia didn't bother and neither did Goyle. Her eyes were examining him as she decided which spell to use.

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — _only_ to disarm them — we don't want any accidents." Alicia's mouth turned into a smirk as she started at Goyle.

"One… two… three —"

" _Stupefy_!" Alicia shouted and Goyle went flying through the air. Many people stopped as Harry did the same and Alicia turned, her mouth opened. Harry had gone flying before Lockhart had even reached three.

Harry stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, he pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, " _Rictusempra_!"

Alicia was laughing as Malfoy doubled over wheezing.

" _I said disarm only_!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move from laughing.

Alicia turned to see Goyle looking angry as he walked back over and raised his wand. A jet of light went flying at Alicia but her wand was up,

" _Protego_." the jinx went flying back to Goyle who collapsed to the floor from a jelly leg jinx.

" _Tarantallegra_!" Alicia turned to see Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge.

" _Finite Incantatem_!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, Goyle stood up and they were able to look up.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologising for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry and Alicia leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was huge.

"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan… Careful there, Miss Fawcett… Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot —

"I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair — Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you —"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker.

"Alicia did a marvellous job." Dean pointed to which Alicia actually blushed.

"How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile, ignoring Dean.

"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.

Alicia grabbed Harry.

"Raise your wand and say _Protego Horribilis_. It'll block anything he throws at you." she whispered as she looked at Lockhart. Harry nodded and continued.

"Now, Harry," said Lockhart when he reached the teacher. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do _this._ "

He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops — my wand is a little overexcited —"

Alicia was standing as close to Harry as she could get, eying Malfoy and Snape.

Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.

"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.

Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder.

"Just do what I did, Harry!"

"What, drop my wand?"

But Lockhart wasn't listening. He looked at Alicia who was pointing at herself and giving Lockhart the 'you don't know anything look' she usually did in class. Harry nodded to her and seemed to understand.

"Three — two — one — go!" Lockhart shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, " _Serpensortia_!" The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

Alicia was the only one who didn't move as she stood behind Harry.

"A snake?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Harry looked at Alicia before he was walking forward as though he was on casters. Everyone watched as Harry shouted at the snake; "Leave him alone!" And miraculously — inexplicably — the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry.

Alicia smirked but no one else was.

Harry looked up at Justin, grinning, but Justin looked scared, even angry.

"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.

Alicia watched confused and looked at Hermione and Ron, both of them looked shocked.

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look. He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Harry turned to Alicia who was now standing beside him but she looked as confused as Harry did. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.

"Come on," said Ron's voice. "Move — come _on_ —" Hermione grabbed Alicia's arm and dragged her out after Harry.

Ron steered them out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Alicia looked at them all confused but neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged Harry all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room. Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" said Harry said

" _A Parselmouth_!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!"

"I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. Alicia and I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once — long story — but it was telling us it had never seen Brazil and we sort of set it free without meaning to, we're still not sure which one of us did it — that was before either of us knew what we could do —"

"Plus Dudley was being an absolute bully, as per usual, and deserved to fall into the snake enclosure." Alicia shrugged

"A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly.

Both Alicia and Harry nodded.

"Wait, you can understand them too?" Hermione asked Alicia

"Yeah, it was how Harry and I met back before we turned eleven. At the zoo in the reptile house. Harry was being bullied and he was winked at by a snake when I walked over. That was when we set the boa free." she admitted

"It winked at you?"

"Yeah, at the time I thought it was strange too." Alicia admitted

"So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."

"Bad?" Alicia and Harry asked sharing a looked

"What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin —"

"Oh, that's what you said to it?"

"What d'you mean? You were there — you heard me —"

"He told it to leave him alone." Alicia nodded

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language."

Alicia looked at him surprised, it was a different language?

"You could have been saying anything — no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something — it was creepy, you know —"

"Wait what?" Alicia asked

"I spoke a different language?" Harry looked at Alicia

"It sounded like he was talking plain english to me." she admitted.

Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads as Alicia sat down in one of the other armchairs.

"But — I didn't realise — how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"

Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died.

Alicia understood how this was bad now, if it wasn't common, and everyone was worrying about the air of Slytherin, Slytherin of who happened to be a parseltongue…

Harry apparently didn't understand.

"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" he said. "What does it matter _how_ I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"

"It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Harry's mouth fell open.

"Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something —"

"But I'm not," said Harry, panic in his voice.

"You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

"Everyone already thinks you're the heir of Slytherin, you've just made it worse." Alicia put her head in her hands.

"I don't understand how you can both do it." Ron suddenly said "And you're both good at Quidditch. And you're both good in sticky situations. You're both from Surrey. Is there anything about you two that isn't the same?"

Harry and Alicia shared a look.

"What?" Hermione asked noticing.

The twins were silent.

"What?" Both Ron and Hermione demanded.

"There's kinda something we've been meaning to tell you." Alicia admitted

"What?" Hermione asked

"You're not related to Slytherin are you?" Ron asked

"No." they chorused.

Alicia looked at Harry before taking a deep breath.

"Harry and I are kinda… related." Alicia admitted

"Related how?" Ron asked. "Like distant cousins?" But Hermione gasped and her eyes darted between the two.

"More like… siblings." Alicia said. Ron's mouth fell open as he looked between them.

"You're Harry's missing twin sister!" Hermione realised, pointing at them.

"But…" Ron said as he looked at them.

The twins were silent as they waited for the other two to comprehend it.

"How?" Hermione asked

"Dumbledore told us when we were in the hospital wing at the end of last year." Alicia said

"But Alicia knew before that." Harry said

"No. I had an idea I was related to you, I knew nothing about being your sister." Alicia corrected

"How?" Hermione asked her

"The Mirror of Erised." Alicia looked at Ron "Remember it. It showed Ron being head boy and Quidditch captain." Hermione looked at Ron.

"Harry and I saw the same thing."

"At first I was confused by it, why I could see Harry's desires and not Ron's. The confusion grew as I realised I looked like Harry's mom Lily, but with James' black hair." she pulled on a strand of her hair.

"Eventually Dumbledore admitted it to us." Harry said

"He separated us for our safety but kept us close." Alicia shrugged

"We didn't tell you because Dumbledore said it was safer to keep it a secret. If Alicia remained an Evans."

"Though I don't understand how that works as Voldemort knows about me." Alicia sighed "He knew me the second he saw me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asked

"We didn't want to do it over a letter and we haven't had the opportunity, together, until now this year." Alicia said

"Sorry." Harry muttered.

"Well if you both can speak parseltongue and your siblings then it's even more likely you could be related to Slytherin." Ron worried

"You can't tell anyone we're siblings." Alicia said quickly

"It's dangerous if everyone knows." Harry admitted.

"Please?" Alicia said

"Of course not." Hermione said obviously.

Alicia nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She grinned as she looked at Harry

"Told you we'd tell them." He rolled his eyes.

* * *

The next morning the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.

Harry was fretting because he wanted to tell Justin what really happened at the duelling lesson. He, Alicia, Ron and Hermione were next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time off to play a game of wizard chess.

"For heaven's sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron's bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and _find_ Justin if it's so important to you."

So Harry got up before he paused.

"Alicia will you come?" he wondered, biting his lip. Alicia nodded, she wouldn't want to walk about alone either with what everyone thought about him now.

They wondered around wondering where they could find Justin.

"He could be in the library?" Alicia said "Taking advantage just before the holidays."

So they headed that way first.

The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling grey snow at every window. Shivering, the two walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. Alicia stretched her neck to see a badger within the class room, running around as people laughed. She smiled as she and Harry walked on by.

A group of the Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Alicia noticed that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation.

While Harry wanted to see if Justin was there, Alicia wanted to know what they were in so deep discussion about. They were walking toward them when something of what they were saying met Alicia and Harry's ears. Alicia grabbed Harry and stopped him walking as they hid in the Invisibility section.

"So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually _told_ him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?"

"You definitely think it _is_ Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously.

"Hannah," said the stout boy solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."

There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? _Enemies of the Heir, Beware._ Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know — Creevey's been attacked."

"He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly, "and, well, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?"

Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Alicia edged nearer, Harry trailing with her so that they could catch Ernie's words.

"No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, " _That's_ probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord _competing_ with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?"

Alicia ground her teeth and walked straight out from behind the book shelf.

"That's the most ludicrous thing I've _ever_ heard." Alicia said. The Hufflepuffs all looked up surprised.

"I can't believe you'd all think something that _stupid._ The boy didn't even know he was famous until he was eleven because those ruddy muggles kept his letters from him. Not only that but did you think he'd want his parents killed? Harry's in _Gryffindor._ Don't you think the Heir of Slytherin would be in Slytherin and be happy about it!? Harry would hate to be in Slytherin."

"And how do you know that?" Hannah wondered

"You're just sticking up for him cause he's your friend." Ernie said "You're probably helping."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Alicia laughed. She didn't get to say anything else before someone cleared their throat and Harry stepped out beside Alicia. Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the colour was draining out of Ernie's face.

"Hello," said Harry. "I'm looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley."

The Hufflepuffs' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.

"What do you want with him?" said Ernie in a quavering voice.

"I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Duelling Club," said Harry.

Ernie bit his white lips and took a deep breath.

"We were all there. We saw what happened."

"Then you noticed that after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?" said Harry.

"All I saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin."

"The snake slumped down and stared at Harry." Alicia said, her breath coming out as laughs as she listened to them

"I didn't chase it at him!" Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "It didn't even _touch_ him!"

"It was a very near miss," said Ernie.

"You're stupider then Lockhart." Alicia insulted waving her hand.

"In case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so —"

"I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" said Harry fiercely. "Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?"

"I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly.

"It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try it."

"And did you forget, one of Harry's best friends is Muggle-born." Alicia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrows. "Not only that but Harry was passed out in the hospital wing when Collin was attacked." The Hufflepuffs looked somewhat confused, not sure what to make of that.

Harry however, turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook.

Alicia followed quickly.

"I actually cannot believe them. They make me want to laugh at their stupidity and curse them all." Alicia rolled her eyes but the look on Harry's expression made her drop the subject.

They walked up the corridor and Alicia assumed Harry had no idea where he was going in his fury. Alicia just followed, keeping an eye on where they were so that when Harry broke out of it she could lead them back to the common room.

The result of Harry's raging rampage caused him to crash right into Hagrid.

"Oh, hello, Hagrid," Harry said, looking up.

Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands.

"All righ', Harry? Alicia?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?"

"Canceled," said Harry as Alicia helped him to his feet. "What're you doing in here?"

Hagrid held up the limp rooster.

"Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin' Bugbear, an' I need the headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."

Alicia eyed the rooster curiously. Where there ordinary foxes around Hogwarts? Something so simple just didn't seem right. Especially when there was an entire forest full of monsters right near Hagrid's house.

Hagrid peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snow-flecked eyebrows.

"Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an' bothered —"

Alicia looked at Harry who rolled his lips suddenly.

"It's nothing," he said. "I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next and we've got to pick up out books."

Harry grabbed Alicia's arm and began to walk off.

"Bye Hagrid." Alicia waved.

Harry stamped up the stairs, still clutching Alicia's hand as she looked at him with a frown. They turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane.

The two were halfway down the passage when Harry, in front of Alicia, tripped headlong over something lying on the floor and pulled his twin with him. She let out a slight cry before hitting the cold floor.

Alicia turned to look at what they'd tripped over before her eyes widened and she sat up instantly.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And that wasn't all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight either Harry or Alicia had ever seen.

It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's.

Alicia scurried to her feet, Harry beside her his breathing fast and shallow. Alicia's eyes were on the two figures before them before Harry taped her shoulder. She turned to and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.

"We can't be found here." Alicia muttered "You're being suspected as causing this and I've found every body so far." Alicia admitted as she grabbed Harry's hand and began to pull on Harry's arm.

"We can't just leave them." Harry disagreed

"They'll be found as soon as the classes end." Alicia said "I know it's terrible but we could get in serious trouble this time."

Neither of them had the chance to do anything as suddenly the door next to them opened with a bang and Peeves came shooting out.

"Why, it's potty wee Potter and icy Evans!" cackled Peeves, knocking Harry's glasses askew as he bounced past them. "What's Potter up to? Why's Evans lurking —"

Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him and as Alicia closed her eyes, she let out an irritated sigh as Peeves screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

Crash — crash — crash — door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Alicia and Harry found themselves pinned against the wall, Alicia clinging to Harry's hand with hers as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene.

" _Caught in the act_!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry. Alicia glared at him so much he stumbled away from them.

"That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song:

 _"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off students, you think it's good fun —"_

"That's enough, Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry.

Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Harry, Alicia and Professor McGonagall alone.

"Miss Evans, this is the third victim you've been found at." she pursed her lips.

"Professor —" Alicia began

"Evans, Potter. This way." she said not allowing Alicia to finished

"Professor," said Harry at once, "I swear I didn't —"

"This is out of my hands, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. Alicia frowned and shared a look with Harry that said 'I told you so'.

They marched in silence around a corner and McGonagall stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.

"Lemon drop!" she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator. Alicia, Harry and McGonagall stepped onto the escalator and Alicia's eyes were staring above them in wonder. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, they saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

It seemed clear of where they were going now. This must be where Dumbledore lived.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Alicia and Harry to wait and left them there, alone.

Dumbledore's office was the most extravagant one Alicia had been in. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat — the _Sorting Hat._

Harry must have spotted it also for he cautiously walked over to it. He walked around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. Alicia watched curiously as, just like the first time he wore it, it slipped down over his eyes.

"Er, yes," Harry muttered to the voice Alicia knew was whispering in his ear. "Er — sorry to bother you — I wanted to ask —"

Harry was silent and what ever he was wondering about, Alicia assumed it was to do with the hat almost putting him in Slytherin last year. What ever the hat said, Harry didn't like the answer. He grabbed the point of the hat and pulled it off. It hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto its shelf.

"You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent hat. It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it and Alicia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Remember what I said. It doesn't matter what the hat said, Gryffindor is where you are." she said strongly "Plus mom and dad were in Gryffindor. It's were you're supposed to be." Harry looked at her and after a few minutes, nodded.

Suddenly a strange, gagging noise behind them made the two wheel around.

Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. Alicia looked at it and walked towards it, examining the bird. It looked slightly old and worn, like it was coming to the end of it's days. The bird looked balefully back at the twelve year olds, making its gagging noise again. Its eyes were dull and a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

Alicia admired the creature before suddenly the bird bursted into flames.

Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk as Alicia looked at the fireball that was once a bird.

 _A phoenix…_ she realised, amazed she'd actually seen one. The fireball became pile of ashes on the floor which both twins stared at, Alicia with amazement and Harry with shock.

The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

"Professor," Harry gasped. "Your bird — I couldn't do anything — he just caught fire —"

"He did look dreadful," Alicia sighed, crouching by the ashes.

Dumbledore smiled.

"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."

"It's alright Harry," Alicia said as Harry looked stunned. Dumbledore smiled.

"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…"

Harry looked down as Alicia watched a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one. "It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk.

"It is fascinating to watch though." Alicia admitted as she stood up straight. Dumbledore nodded.

"He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly _faithful_ pets."

Alicia smiled. She'd like one, but Noel was more then enough. She wouldn't ask for more.

In that instance the office door suddenly flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in. Alicia looked at him surprised as he had a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand.

"It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore! Harry or Alicia!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter 'em _seconds_ before that kid was found, they never had time, sir —"

Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere.

"— it can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to —"

"Hagrid, I —"

"— yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I _know_ neither Harry or Alicia'd never —"

" _Hagrid_!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do _not_ think that Harry attacked those people."

"Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster."

And he stomped out looking embarrassed.

Alicia chuckled

"Thank you Hagrid." she smiled just before the door shut.

"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk.

"No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you. To you both." the twins shared a look.

Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together.

"I must ask you both, Alicia, Harry, whether there is anything either of you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."

Harry looked at Alicia and a few things crossed her mind, Hermione and Ron believing strongly that Malfoy was behind the attacks, the polyjuice potion currently simmering away down in the bathroom, the voice both she and Harry heard just before an attack had occurred, twice now out of three.

Alicia wasn't sure about any of this… or what anyone would think, especially the headmaster. Though she somehow trusted Dumbledore more then she had anyone other then Harry so far, maybe a little more then Ron and Hermione even… but, did she want to burden him with all this?

Harry decided for her

"No," said Harry. "There isn't anything, Professor…" he looked at Alicia who smiled slightly and shook her head.

"Nothing." though she felt this was the wrong thing to say, if Harry didn't want to tell him she couldn't say anything without involving him, and apparently, Harry thought the same as she did. He didn't want to burden Dumbledore with their thoughts, especially if they turned out stupid.

* * *

The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost? People asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Alicia, Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be."

"Good thing we're in different houses then." Alicia added with a sigh.

Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. Alicia decided it was good that most people were leaving. As she hated leaving Harry alone, and he asked her to accompany her most places thanks to all the muttering and whispering, she was happy it was all going to stop for a while.

 _Maybe those with magic parents will tell their parents and they can tell their children what idiots they're being._ Everything could be better when the school returned. _Don't get your hopes too high up._ Alicia warned herself.

Fred and George thought it was so ridiculous that they laughed about it. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through…" Alicia couldn't help but laugh.

Percy was deeply disapproving of this behaviour.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.

Ginny didn't find it amusing either.

"Oh, _don't,_ " she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met.

Alicia always found it strange how to heart Ginny took all this. She hadn't know Justin at all but she was as distraught over him as she had been Filch's cat and Collin. She couldn't laugh at the twins jokes like Alicia had expected her too, she knew Harry was innocent…

Harry didn't seem to mind which was good. He laughed a couple of times with Alicia when they did this. But their antics seemed to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it.

"It's because he's _bursting_ to say it's really him," said Ron knowingly. "You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work."

Alicia sighed, she hadn't managed to convince them that Malfoy didn't seem to her as the culprit, her only option was for Malfoy to say it to them himself.

"Not for long," said Hermione in a satisfied tone. "The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now."

At last the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle. It was peaceful, rather than gloomy. Like last year, Alicia, Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasley's had the Gryffindor tower to themselves, only Alicia had Hermione in the dorm with her this time. This meant they could play Exploding Snap loudly without bothering anyone, and practice duelling in private. Fred, George, and Ginny had chosen to stay at school rather than visit Bill in Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Percy, who disapproved of what he termed their childish behaviour, didn't spend much time in the Gryffindor common room. He had already told them pompously that _he_ was only staying over Christmas because it was his duty as a prefect to support the teachers during this troubled time. Alicia had called hm out on wanting extra credit to boost his chances of head boy. Percy had blushed slightly but didn't deny it.

* * *

Alicia this year was woken by Hermione on Christmas morning.

"Come on, we need to add the last little bit to the polyjuice potion." was the first thing she said.

"Merry Christmas Alicia. Merry christmas to you too Hermione." Alicia grumbled as she sat up yawning.

"Here." Hermione placed a present in her lap and Alicia smiled. She opened it to find it wasn't a book like she expected. Hermione had given Alicia an entire quil set.

"Aww." Alicia smiled before hugging her friend "Thank you. Now yours." Alicia was out of bed and grabbed Hermione's gift.

Hermione unwrapped it and beamed at the set of stationary Alicia had given her. It was to help her organise her notes and work which Alicia knew she'd put to good use when Exams were ages away.

"Thank you."

"Any time." Alicia smiled. She grabbed the rest of her presents to find Harry had given the a polishing kit for her broom, Ron a book on his favourite quidditch team, Hagrid some treacle tart that glued her teeth together and Mrs Weasley had send her another purple jacket with some more fudge. Alicia beamed and turned to Hermione.

"Now lets finish this potion before the boys wake up." Alicia got dressed, pulling on the Weasley jacket, and the two ran down to Myrtle's bathroom.

"Merry Christmas Myrtle." Alicia smiled "I was going to buy you a present but didn't know what you'd want. I thought of sweets but I wanted you to have something useful." she rambled as Myrtle looked at Alicia surprised. Alicia was over Myrtle always complaining and refused to allow the ghost to do the same about Alicia.

"What would you like?" Alicia wondered. Myrtle's face began to screw up as she cried before she just dove into the toilet like usual.

"I'll take that as an I don't know." Alicia sighed. She wasn't sure if her question and made Myrtle upset cause Alicia cared, or upset because Alicia had reminded the ghost she was dead.

"How's it going?" Alicia asked as she looked at Hermione in the stall. She was adding the last bit of lacewings to the potion.

"It's ready." Hermione grinned

"On Christmas day." Alicia sighed "Thats' exactly how I wanted to spend my night. In the Slytherin common room with Malfoy." Hermione gave her a stern look.

"What? I'm not backing out but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to complain." Alicia admitted.

Hermione checked over the potion once more before Alicia dragged her away and back to the Gryffindor tower, saying she wanted to actually have christmas this year.

The two grabbed their gifts for the boys and bursted straight into the boys dormitories. Naturally they are both asleep.

Hermione walked straight to the curtains and opened them, saying loudly, "Wake up."

"Hermione." Alicia hissed

"Merry Christmas!" she jumped onto Harry's bed with a grin.

"Hermione — you're not supposed to be in here —" said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "We've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lace-wings to the potion."

"Terrible way to spend Chritsmas morning." Alicia muttered to Harry "If we're doing something like this next year, I'm sleeping in your dorm." she declared with a grin, throwing Ron her present for him.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's ready." she declared

Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," said Hermione, shirting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak.

"Hello," said Harry happily as she landed on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?" She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way.

"Hey Hedwig." Alicia patted the owl before Noel joined them.

"Noel!" she beamed and used her wand to conjure some treats for the two owls. Both she and Harry noticed they'd both brought them presents, Harry's from the Dursleys and Alicia's from the orphanage.

"I'd forgotten about home," Alicia admitted as she opened the present to find one of her favourite childhood books there. She grinned before looking at Harry's. His so called family had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too.

"Typical Dursleys." Alicia rolled her eyes

Harry and Ron proceeded to open their presents while the girls watched. Harry grinned as Alicia had bought him a quidditch book.

"Apparently twins think alike." she grinned, nudging him and Harry smiled.

Alicia had found a limited addition poster on the Cannons and Ron was ogling it like there was no tomorrow going on and on about how awesome it was. Hagrid had sent Harry a large tin of treacle toffee, Ron had given him a book called _Flying with the Cannons,_ a book of interesting facts about his favourite Quidditch team,

"Really?" Alicia had asked Ron, proceeding to tell Harry Ron had gotten her something similar. And Hermione had bought him a luxury eagle-feather quill. Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley and a large plum cake.

"We're gonna be matching again!" Alicia grinned and she jumped up from the bed, heading for the door.

"Where you going?" Hermione asked

"I have a gift for Ginny too." Alicia grinned and she walked back to her dormitory to receive it before walking into Ginny's.

They girl was writing in her diary and slammed it shut when Alicia knocked.

"Merry Christmas." Alicia placed the present before her and gave the girl a hug. "It's gonna be awesome this year so lighten up. You're surrounded by people who love you." Ginny hadn't been looking her best lately, atop of the nightmares she'd apparently been having and it worried Alicia a little.

* * *

No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts.

The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favourite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read "Pin-head," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. Alicia had cast a charm on a little santa she'd bought and it skated around the table for everyone to laugh at when it fell in someone else's food and covered them in it.

Alicia, Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalise their plans for the evening.

"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. "And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe's and Goyle's; they're Malfoy's best friends, he'll tell them anything."

"Hermione, Malfoy doesn't have _friends_." Alicia rolled her eyes "They're just his body guards."

"And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him." Hermione continued as if Alicia hadn't spoken.

"I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Ron's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet."

Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other.

"Hermione, I don't think —"

"That could go seriously wrong —"

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had.

"Just do it." Alicia muttered to the boys

"The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You do _want_ to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"

"Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?"

"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Duelling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas — so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."

"I feel like they wont by that…" Alicia muttered

"What about you?" Harry asked her. Alicia pulled another little flask out of her pocket.

"Tracey Davis." Alicia sighed looking at it. Hermione took it from her for safe keeping

before she bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression.

"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"

"I have a strange feeling we might want to get used to it." Alicia muttered.

* * *

Alicia had gone after Hermione to the girls bathroom while Harry and Ron did as Hermione instructed and waited for Crabbe and Goyle. The polyjuice potion looked disgusting. It was lumpy, black and actually like bubbling mud. Black smoke with filling the bathroom as it hissed out of the stall where the potion was positioned.

"This is right?" Alicia asked eyeing it "Right?" she gave Hermione a look

"I'm sure it is." she bit her lip as she pulled flour glasses out of her robes and put them on the toilet seat. "We did everything right." Hermione gave Alicia the book and she read over it, her finger running down the page as she muttered to herself and nodded her head.

"Yeah," she sighed sending another glance at the cauldron "Seems to be right…" Hermione nodded, somehow looking more confident that Alicia thought as much as she stirred the cauldron.

"Hermione?" the two girls turned and Alicia unlocked the stall as Harry and Ron appeared. Both of them eyed the potion with worried looks.

"Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly

Harry showed her Goyle's hair.

"Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle."

The four of them stared into the cauldron.

"I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously, taking the book from Alicia and rereading the splotched page of _Moste Potente Potions._ "It looks like the book says it should…"

"Still a worry." Alicia muttered to Ron who nodded in agreement

"Once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves." Hermione instructed

"Now what?" Ron whispered.

"We separate it into four glasses and add the hairs."

Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode's hair out of its bottle into the first glass.

The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow.

"Urgh — essence of Millicent Bulstrode," said Ron, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting."

Hermione did the same with Tracey Davis' and it turned a bright green. Alicia pulled a face of disgust.

"Add yours, then," said Hermione.

Harry dropped Goyle's hair in a glass and Ron put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki colour of a booger, Crabbe's a dark, murky brown.

"Hang on," said Harry as Alicia, Ron and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink them in here… Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie."

"Good thinking," said Ron, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls."

Harry slipped into the middle stall while Ron went beside him. Alicia slipped into one next to Hermione and the potion.

"Ready?" Harry called.

"Ready," came Ron's and Hermione's voices.

"Ready." Alicia nodded staring at the gross concoction

"One — two — three —"

Alicia sculled the clumpy liquid and then dropped the glass as, immediately, her insides started writhing as though she'd just swallowed live snakes. She doubled over, her eyes shut and wondered whether she was going to be sick. A burning sensation then spread rapidly from her stomach to the very ends of her fingers and toes. She gasped as she ground her teeth and kneeled on the floor, still holding her stomach. She felt a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over her body bubbled like hot wax.

And then, her body began to change. Her hair retreated into her skull and became shorter. Her hands turned pristine and manicured, her body slender buy lean. And her face, she felt her cheekbones against her skin and her nose lengthen slightly.

As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. There was silence through the bathroom other then Myrtle's gurgling morosely in the end toilet. Alicia stood up and pulled on the robes Hermione had snatched.

"Are you two okay?" it was Goyle's voice. Harry.

"Yeah," came the deep grunt of Crabbe.

"Yes." Alicia was surprised by her voice. It sounded snobbish.

One of the doors opened and Alicia proceeded to open her own stall. She saw Harry standing by the broken mirror, only it wasn't Harry's face she was looking at, it was Goyle's.

"Woah…" she muttered. Harry turned to look at her and he looked just as shocked. Ron's door opened. They all stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-bowl haircut to the long, gorilla arms.

"This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. " _Unbelievable._ "

"We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow…"

Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle _thinking._ " He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go —"

A high-pitched voice answered him.

"I — I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me." Alicia looked puzzled

"Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you —"

"No — really — I don't think I'll come. You three hurry up, you're wasting time —"

Harry looked at Ron, bewildered.

" _That_ looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question."

"Hermione, are you okay?" said Harry through the door.

"Fine — I'm fine — go on —"

Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed.

"You two go, I'll stay with Hermione." Alicia said the boys looking surprised "You'll probably get more out of Malfoy if it's just the two of you anyway." Alicia admitted glancing at Hermione's door.

"Go." she ordered.

"We'll meet you back here, all right?" Harry said.

Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off.

"Hermione." Alicia said carefully

"I'm fine —"

"No you're not or you'd come out." Alicia admitted "What's wrong?"

"Its —"

"I'll give you three alternatives, you can open the stall, I'll force the stall open or I'll send Myrtle in." Alicia threatened.

There was silence for a minute and then the lock scraped on the door. Alicia looked in and her eyes widened. Hermione was half a cat. Her face was covered in black hair, her eyes were yellow and two ears poked out of Hermione's hair. Alicia could just make out a tail through Hermione's robes.

Alicia stepped in and closed the stall behind her.

"It was cat hair! I c-cant believe it!" Hermione sobbed.

"It's okay Hermione," Alicia assured her, she let Hermione sob on her shoulder.

It was okay until Myrtle came in and decided to inspect. The ghost started laughing.

"Myrtle!" Alicia snapped at her "You don't like it when people pick on you so shut up, or I will say something nasty." Myrtle looked annoyed, but seeing Hermione the happiness was back as she sat on the wall of the stall, staring down at the two.

"Madam Pomfrey can fix it Hermione, it's okay. If she asked we'll say someone messing around in the common room and you got hit with a jinx." Alicia said rubbing Hermione's back "Seeing as it's just the Weasley boys and Ginny, she and the twins will happily cover us. Not only that but the twins might even take the blame." Hermione sobbed as Alicia rambled on all the different excuses they could give to the school's nurse.

When Hermione finally released Alicia, she grabbed the cauldron and began to wash it out within the sink. She had to use a shrinking charm to make it all go down the drain at one stage.

Alicia looked up and watched as her face suddenly began to turn to normal, unlike the transformation to someone else, this time it was completely painless, and if she hadn't been looking at herself, she wouldn't have even noticed it was happening.

Alicia was glad when her green eyes reemerged and her black hair grew to it's proper length.

When the hour was up, Harry and Ron came bursting through the door, their robes now much to big for themselves and no shoes on their feet. They looked like themselves again.

Harry checked himself in the cracked mirror, before pulling on his glasses while Ron went to Hermione's stall.

"No, Ron." Alicia said walking after him

"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you —"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are —" Alicia moved and stood between the boys and the door.

"It's kinda complicated." she admitted and the boys looked confused. Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the wall next to Alicia. She still looked happy.

"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's _awful_ —"

"Myrtle." Alicia scolded. She heard the lock slide back behind her and turned as Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Alicia bit her lip and stepped aside as Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.

"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"Uh-oh," said Ron.

"You'll be teased something _dreadful,_ " said Myrtle happily.

"Myrtle you're rude horrible and no one wants you here." Alicia snapped, staying true to her words. "Go to your toilet and leave us alone." Myrtle looked saddened and hurt before she frowned and rushed off.

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…"

"That's what I said and I came up with lots of excuses if she does." Alicia nodded to Hermione "So I get to do the lying in case." she turned to the boys who nodded.

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a _tail_!" To which Alicia called her a name and insulted her. The ghost was in the U-bend within the instant.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumour about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

Alicia, Harry and Ron went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework and Alicia would give her a summary of what they'd done in classes and had grabbed a second book in which she took notes in to give to Hermione.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.

"Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.

"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.

"I was so _sure_ it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time.

"I wasn't. And look who was right." Alicia said grinning. The two boys rolled their eyes, Hermione however could understand Alicia's logic when she explained her thoughts to her.

"What's that?" asked Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.

"Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

" _To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award._ "

Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted.

"You sleep with this under your _pillow_?"

But Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.

"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to Alicia and Harry as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower.

"Oh god yes." Alicia agreed.

Snape had given them so much homework, that Ron had moved on to complaining about that. He was just asking Alicia how many rat tails you were supposed to add to a Hair-Raising Potion and Alicia about to answer him, when an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears.

"That's Filch," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.

"You don't think someone else's been attacked?" said Ron tensely.

They stood still, their heads inclined toward Filch's voice, which sounded quite hysterical.

" _— even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore —_ " His footsteps receded along the out-of-sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam.

They poked their heads around the corner. Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. They saw at a glance what Filch had been shouting about. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.

" _Now_ what's up with her?" said Ron.

"Maybe someone insulted her." Alicia said

"Like you?" Ron asked

"I went in and apologised and explained that if she wanted people to be nice to her she had to start by being nice herself." Alicia huffed.

"Let's go and see," said Harry, suddenly. They held their robes over their ankles as they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its out of order sign, ignored it as always, and entered.

Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.

"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.

"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"

Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…"

"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry, reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"

He had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because _she_ can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I _don't_ think!"

"No that's not fun." Alicia shook her head and looked around confused, why would anyone be in here throwing books?

"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry.

" _I_ don't know… I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them.

"Wait, so someone flushed it down the toilet?" Alicia asked surprised "Myrtle that's someone trying to dispose of it, not throw it at you." she rolled her eyes

"Is it still down there?" Ron wondered glancing at the toilet.

"It's over there, it got washed out…"

Harry, Alicia and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.

"What?" said Harry.

"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."

" _Dangerous_?" said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"

"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated — Dad's told me — there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read _Sonnets of a Sorcerer_ spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could _never stop reading_! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And —"

"All right, I've got the point," said Harry.

The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy.

"Let's just cancel it then." Alicia said. She ducked under Ron's arm and pulled out her wand.

" _Finite Incantatem_." she tapped the book before picking it up.

"Did you fix it?" Harry asked

"Hopefully," Alicia shrugged and looked at the two boys who shared a look.

"Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," Harry said, and he ducked around Ron and took the book from Alicia.

Harry saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name "T. M. Riddle" in smudged ink.

"Hang on," said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Harry's shoulder. "I know that name…"

"I'd hope so, you polished it remember." Alicia said.

"Yeah, T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."

"How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement.

"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."

"I had to take it from him and do it properly for him to move on." Alicia nodded

Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even _Auntie Mabel's birthday,_ or _dentist, half-past three._

"He never wrote in it," said Harry, disappointed.

"I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously.

Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.

"He must've been Muggle-born," said Harry thoughtfully. "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…"

"Could be a half blood too." Alicia shrugged

"Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."

"Ron," Alicia accused.

Harry, however, pocketed it.

* * *

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and fur-free, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it.

"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."

"I wish I knew why someone _did_ try to chuck it," said Harry. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."

"Could've been anything," said Ron. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favour…"

Alicia however was thinking more in-depth.

"No it'd have to be something more important. It was an award to the school, not the staff or a specific person. Maybe he stopped something big… or saved everyone in it." she grinned and then frowned "Why didn't we get one at the end of last year? We saved everyone from Voldemort." the others grinned, Ron as usual wincing at the name.

And then her expression brightened and she looked excited. From the arrested look on Hermione and Harry's faces she could tell that they were thinking the same thing.

"What?" said Ron, looking from one to the other.

"The Chamber of Secrets." Alicia whispered

"What about it?"

"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" Harry said. "That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah…" said Ron slowly.

"And _this diary_ is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly.

"So?"

"Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled _fifty years ago._ We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school _fifty years ago._ Well, what if Riddle got his special award for _catching the Heir of Slytherin_? His diary would probably tell us everything — where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it — the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"

"And it would explain why Dumbledore knows who did it last time ad is confused as to how it's happening this time." Alicia grinned

"That's a _brilliant_ theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. _There's nothing written in his diary._ "

But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag.

"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.

She tapped the diary three times and said, " _Aparecium_!"

Nothing happened. Undaunted, Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser. "It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said.

She rubbed hard on _January first._ Nothing happened.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."

"No I believe there is." Alicia said

"Why?"

"Because someone tried to get rid of it. Now why would you get rid of an empty diary?" Alicia asked suspiciously.

* * *

Harry must have thought along the same lines as Alicia, he continuously and absentmindedly picked it up and turned the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish.

Alicia was more then curious as to find out what was in the book, what it could be hiding. The two were hell bent on finding out anything they could about Riddle, starting with his shield in the Trophy room. They headed there to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron, who told them he'd seen enough of the trophy room to last him a lifetime.

Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it," said Ron). However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.

"He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy _…_ probably top of every class —"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice.

"Just cause you're not top of the class." Alicia rolled her eyes

"I don't want to be top of the class." Ron argued

"You grades could do with some picking up though."

* * *

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back in no time."

It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets, with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate for another fifty years…

Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had "given himself away" at the Duelling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh, Potter, you rotter…" now with a dance routine to match.

Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Alicia and Harry overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him.

"You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…"

He tapped his nose again and strode off.

Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. Harry and Alicia hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and they hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. Alicia stopped in her tracks at the doors and Harry stared wide eyed next to her.

The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Alicia turned around and went to run but Harry grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the room and over to the Gryffindor table.

"No! Let me go! It's like walking into a nightmare." she complained as she yanked on her arm.

Harry sighed, rolled his eyes and pulled her down to sit beside Ron, who was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.

"What's going on?" Harry asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.

Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where he sat, Harry could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all — and it doesn't end here!"

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

Alicia couldn't believe her eyes as she stared.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

Alicia groaned, several people from every table turned to look at her as she bashed her forehead on the table.

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.

"How are you my friend?" Alicia wondered.

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers. Alicia had stood up in their potions class and zapped one of them with Snape standing right beside her. Harry and Ron looked stunned as Snape, for the first time ever awarded her a point for Gryffindor. Alicia was staring at Snape with absolute shock, not only because he'd awarded her a point or because he'd smiled even slightly. But because he hadn't ignored her. Malfoy was staring completely shocked, his mouth hanging open.

Late that afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry and Ron grabbed Alicia to stop her zapping this one too.

"Oy, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry.

Hot all over at the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, which happened to include Ginny Weasley, Harry tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

" _Not here,_ " Harry hissed, trying to escape as Alicia began to laugh

"Stay _still_!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.

"Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging.

With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.

Alicia stopped her laughing as she crouched down to help Harry who was scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor. Alicia fixed his ink bottle and handed it to him, the mess from the floor vanishing.

"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine.

"What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived.

Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. "Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine:

 _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_

 _His hair is as dark as a blackboard.  
_

 _I wish he was mine, he's really divine,  
_

 _The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."_

Alicia was trying not to laugh like everyone else, thinking it was mean. Harry, tried valiantly to laugh along with everyone else as he got up, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf, as Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth.

"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," he said, shooing some of the younger students away. " _And_ you, Malfoy —"

Harry, glancing over, saw Malfoy stoop and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry realised that he'd got Riddle's diary.

"Give that back," said Harry quietly.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy, who obviously hadn't noticed the year on the cover and thought he had Harry's own diary. A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified.

"You're an idiot Malfoy, how do you even know it's Harrys?" Alicia asked

"Hand it over, Malfoy," said Percy sternly.

"When I've had a look," said Malfoy, waving the diary tauntingly at Harry.

"Sure, open it." Alicia allowed, Percy wasn't having it though.

"As a school prefect —" but Harry had lost his temper. He pulled out his wand and shouted, " _Expelliarmus_!" and just as Snape had disarmed Lockhart, so Malfoy found the diary shooting out of his hand into the air. Ron, grinning broadly, caught it.

"Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"

But Harry didn't care, he was one-up on Malfoy, and that was worth five points from Gryffindor any day. Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"

Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand too, as did Alicia more then happy to jinx him once again, but Harry pulled Ron away while Hermione grabbed Alicia. Ron didn't need to spend the whole of Charms belching slugs.

* * *

That night, Harry grabbed Alicia and dragged her up to the boys dormitory. They sat on his four poster bed and Harry drew the curtains closed around them.

"There was something I noticed." Harry admitted

"What?"

"Before you cleaned up the ink, the diary didn't have any on it."

"But everything had ink on it…" Alicia muttered

"Exactly." Harry nodded. He opened the book and then proceeded to the draw beside his bed which held another bottle of ink. He dipped his quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.

The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished. Alicia and Harry grinned excitedly at one another before Harry loaded his quill a second time. He wrote;

"My name is Harry Potter." Alicia stole the quill as she sat beside Harry "And Alicia Potter."

"Potter?" Harry asked

"It's a diary where the the words vanish. Everyone's honest in diaries, might as well be completely honest." Alicia shrugged.

The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without trace. Then, at last, something happened.

Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words neither Alicia or Harry had ever written.

" _Hello, Harry and Alicia Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?_ "

These words, too, faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back.

"Someone tried to flush it down a toilet."

He waited eagerly for Riddle's reply.

" _Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink_. _But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read._ "

"Well that's what I said." Alicia nodded, Harry raised an eyebrow

"What do you mean?" Harry scrawled, blotting the page in his excitement.

" _I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._ "

"That's where we are now," Harry wrote quickly. "I'm at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Alicia crossed her fingers and bit her lip excited. Harry looked just as excited, his heart hammering as Riddle's reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew.

" _Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned._ "

Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back, Alicia caught it to stop it from spilling everywhere.

"It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?"

" _I can show you, if you like,"_ came Riddle's reply. _"You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him._ "

"Yes." Alicia said instantly grabbing Harry's arm in excitement. Harry looked at her and hesitated, his quill suspended over the diary.

"But how can Riddle show us?" Harry asked

"He said he put his memories in a book with something better then ink." Alicia said "What if he actually imprisoned his memories in the book with some spell?" Harry looked at her and then glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory through a crack in the curtains, which was growing dark. When he looked back at the diary, he saw fresh words forming.

" _Let me show you_."

"Both of us?" Alicia wrote

" _Sure._ " Riddle answered

"It can't hurt." Alicia nudged Harry as he paused.

"OK." he wrote.

The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, Harry and Alicia saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a minuscule television screen. Alicia raised the book as she and Harry looked at it closer, trying to make out what was on the little screen. Harry pressed his eye against the little window, and before they knew what was happening, he was tilting forward. Alicia grabbed Harry's collar as the window widened, he left his bed, pulling Alicia with him, and they were pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of colour and shadow.

Alicia watched as a picture suddenly came into view as her feet hit solid ground. She released Harry who was standing beside her.

Immediately they knew where they were. This circular room with the sleeping portraits was Dumbledore's office — but it wasn't Dumbledore who was sitting behind the desk. A wizened, frail-looking wizard, bald except for a few wisps of white hair, was reading a letter by candlelight.

"Who's he?" Harry asked

"I think…" Alicia eyed him and took a slight step forward "That's Professor Dippet…"

"Who?"

"The headmaster of Hogwarts before Dumbledore." Alicia answered in a whisper.

"But…?" Harry began. Alicia however was looking around the room.

The wizard hadn't even looked up at them as they spoke. He just continued to read, frowning slightly. Harry drew nearer to his desk and stammered,

"Er — I'll just go, shall I?"

The wizard ignored him. He didn't seem even to have heard him. Alicia noticed a few differences in the office. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix was missing, the silver contraption that had decorated the office when Alicia had visited it were no where either.

"Sorry I disturbed you. I'll go now," Harry half-shouted.

Dippet folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Harry without glancing at him, and went to draw the curtains at his window.

"Harry, we must be in Riddle's memory." she realised as she went and stood before Dippet. She waved her hand in his face but the wizard didn't see her. "We can't be seen because we weren't there at the time." she explained.

"We're no more than a phantom…" Harry muttered and Alicia nodded.

There was a knock on the office door.

"Enter," said the old wizard in a feeble voice.

A boy of about sixteen entered, taking off his pointed hat. A silver prefect's badge was glinting on his chest. He was much taller than Harry, but he, too, had jet-black hair.

"Ah, Riddle," said the headmaster.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" said Riddle. He looked nervous.

"Sit down," said Dippet. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me."

"Oh," said Riddle. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly.

"My dear boy," said Dippet kindly, "I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?"

"No," said Riddle at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that — to that —"

"You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" said Dippet curiously.

Alicia looked surprised, Riddle was an orphan?

"Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly.

"You are Muggle-born?"

"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother."

"And are both your parents — ?"

"My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me — Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather."

Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.

"The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…"

"You mean all these attacks, sir?" said Riddle, Harry he moved closer, scared of missing anything.

"Precisely," said the headmaster. "My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the — er — source of all this unpleasantness…"

Riddle's eyes had widened.

"Sir — if the person was caught — if it all stopped —"

"What do you mean?" said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair. "Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"

"No, sir," said Riddle quickly.

But Harry was sure it was the same sort of "no" that he himself had given Dumbledore.

"He's lying…" Alicia muttered

"How do you know?"

"His answer was too automatic, too quick." Alicia thought "Plus, it's the same when ever we lie to a teacher." she smiled slightly but looked back at Riddle suspiciously.

Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed.

"You may go, Tom…"

Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room.

"Come on," Alicia muttered "It's his memory, let's follow." and so they did.

Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped, and so did the twins, watching him. Riddle seemed to be doing some serious thinking. He was biting his lip, his forehead furrowed.

Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Harry and Alicia gliding noiselessly behind him. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase.

"What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?"

"No way." Alicia smirked "Dumbledore." she recognised.

Harry gaped at the wizard. He was indeed none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore.

"I had to see the headmaster, sir," said Riddle.

"Well, hurry off to bed," said Dumbledore, giving Riddle exactly the kind of penetrating stare Harry knew so well. "Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…"

He sighed heavily, bade Riddle good night, and strode off. Riddle watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with the twins in hot pursuit.

"Do you think we'll find the chamber?" Alicia grinned excitedly.

But to their disappointment, Riddle led him not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Harry and Alicia had Potions with Snape. The torches hadn't been lit, and when Riddle pushed the door almost closed, you could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside.

They just stayed and waited. All they could see was the figure of Riddle at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue.

"This is taking forever." Harry complained

"I know. But Riddle said he'd show us something so just hang it out." Alicia muttered with an annoyed sigh.

Then, they heard something move beyond the door.

Someone was creeping along the passage. Whoever it was passed the dungeon where they and Riddle were hidden. Riddle, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed.

For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Riddle stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Harry heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper.

"C'mon… gotta get yeh outta here… C'mon now… in the box…"

"Harry…" Alicia said slowly, and Harry nodded, knowing what she was thinking. There was something familiar about that voice.…

Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner. Harry and Alicia stepped out behind him. They could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it.

" 'Evening, Rubeus," said Riddle sharply. Alicia gapped.

The boy slammed the door shut and stood up.

"What yer doin' down here, Tom?"

Riddle stepped closer.

"It's all over," he said. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."

"What d'yeh —"

"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and —"

"It never killed no one!" said the large boy, backing against the closed door. From behind him, Harry could hear a funny rustling and clicking.

"Come on, Rubeus," said Riddle, moving yet closer. "The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…"

"It wasn't him!" roared the boy, his voice echoing in the dark passage. "He wouldn'! He never!"

"Stand aside," said Riddle, drawing out his wand.

His spell lit the corridor with a sudden flaming light. The door behind the large boy flew open with such force it knocked him into the wall opposite. And out of it came something that made Harry let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone —

Alicia was just staring in surprise at the boy and the creature, a vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers — Riddle raised his wand again, but he was too late. The thing bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Riddle scrambled to his feet, looking after it; he raised his wand, but the huge boy leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, "NOOOOOOO!"

"Hagrid!" Alicia shouted

The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; Alicia felt herself falling and, with a crash, she and Harry landed spread-eagled on his four-poster in the Gryffindor dormitory, Riddle's diary lying open on Harry's stomach.

Before Harry had had time to regain his breath or Alicia could even sit up, the dormitory door opened and Ron came in. He threw open the curtains around the bed and looked at the two confused.

"There you are," he said. "Alicia what are you doing?" Ron demanded

Harry sat up. He was sweating and shaking. Alicia sprang up to her feet and grabbed the book. It was empty again.

"Harry," she said, panting, looking at him with worry and disbelief.

"What's up?" said Ron, looking at the two of them with concern.

"It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had always known that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures. During their first year at Hogwarts he had tried to raise a dragon in his little wooden house, and it would be a long time before they forgot the giant, three-headed dog he'd christened "Fluffy." And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the castle, all of them were sure he'd have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it. He'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs; they could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Hagrid trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But Alicia was sure above anything, that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anybody.

Harry half wished they hadn't found out how to work Riddle's diary. Again and again Ron and Hermione made him or Alicia recount what they'd seen, until Harry was heartily sick of telling them and Alicia cracked it to shut up and stop asking. The long, circular conversations that followed were just as bad.

"Riddle _might_ have got the wrong person," said Hermione. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people…"

"How many monsters d'you think this place can hold?" Ron asked dully.

"Have you seen the size of it?" Alicia wondered with a roll of her eyes.

"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award."

Ron tried a different tack.

"Riddle _does_ sound like Percy — who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?"

"But the monster had _killed_ someone, Ron," said Hermione.

"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here…"

"Neither. And the fact that Headmaster Dippet actually considered letting him stay for the summer…" Alicia muttered thoughtfully

"You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?"

"He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," said Harry quickly.

The three of them fell silent. After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice.

"Do you think we should go and _ask_ Hagrid about it all?"

"That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. " 'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?' "

"Maybe we wouldn't ask him like that." Alicia muttered "But we could bring it up discretely?"

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told them. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing."

The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously. Alicia even got very into it

"It could affect our whole future," she told Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks.

"There's too many to choose…" Alicia said, her eyes furrowed

"I just want to give up Potions," said Harry.

"Just cause of Snape though."

"We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose."

"Come on though, Quirrell lasted a year and if the post _is_ jinxed he'll be gone by the end of the year." Alicia said looking slightly hopeful, to which Hermione scolded her.

Neville Longbottom had been sent letters from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice on what to choose. Confused and worried, he sat reading the subject lists with his tongue poking out, asking people whether they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Runes. Dean Thomas, who, like Alicia and Harry, had grown up with Muggles, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on. Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything. This was fine, until she dragged Alicia in to do the same.

"I do not want to to Divination and I do not need to do Muggle studies." Alicia said strongly

"Well we can drop some if need be, let's at least try them." Hermione persuaded "Or have you chosen your subjects?" Alicia was silent at that and just ended up listening to Hermione and doing all of them also.

"I'm probably the only one who can keep up with you anyway." she confessed.

Of course, Percy wouldn't stop trying to give them all advice, saying for maybe the millionth time that a Prefect's job was to give guidance. Harry it seemed was his current target.

"Depends where you want to _go,_ Harry," he said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them — look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry."

But the only thing Harry felt he was really good at was Quidditch, which he consulted with Alicia.

"If we had a proper teacher I think you'd excel in Defence against the Dark Arts. Especially with the hole 'boy who lived thing'." Alicia said with a roll of her eyes "I mean mom was a genius, Dumbledore said it was were I got my brains from so you have to have something other than just Quidditch. Remember what Ollivander said, mom was good with charms and dad was good with transfiguration… or was it the other way around…?" she muttered.

In the end, Harry chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was lousy at them, at least he'd have someone friendly to help him.

Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Harry and Alicia barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework, though Harry struggled more with the homework then his sister. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match they went up to their dormitories to drop off his broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch Cup had never been better.

But his cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, before he split from Alicia, they met Neville Longbottom, who was looking frantic.

"Harry — I don't know who did it — I just found —" he said watching Harry fearfully

"What?" Alicia wondered. Neville pushed open the door to the boys dormitories.

The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.

Harry walked over to the bed, openmouthed, treading on a few loose pages of _Travels with Trolls._ As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in, Alicia was still standing in the doorway. Dean swore loudly.

"What happened, Harry?"

"No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out.

"Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?"

"And they went to great pains for it…" Alicia muttered "What could be new that—" she stopped mid sentence and looked at Harry.

Alicia, not caring about those watching began to help Harry as she looked for a certain item.

They threw everything into the trunk and Alicia scanned every book he had before the two looked at one another and then to Ron

"Riddle's diary's gone," they chorused in an undertone to Ron.

" _What_?"

Harry jerked his head toward the dormitory door and Ron followed them both out. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room, which was half-empty, and joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, reading a book called _Ancient Runes Made Easy._

Hermione looked aghast at the news.

"But — only a Gryffindor could have stolen — nobody else knows our password —"

"Exactly," said Harry

"But why is a Gryffindor involved with a Slytherin's work?" Alicia demanded.

* * *

They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze.

"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."

Harry had been staring down the packed Gryffindor table, wondering if the new owner of Riddle's diary was right in front of his eyes while Alicia ate her breakfast, her mind racing. Hermione had been urging him to report the robbery, but Harry didn't like the idea. He'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Hagrid had been expelled fifty years ago? He didn't want to be the one who brought it all up again.

As they left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione to go and collect their Quidditch things, Alicia stopped, her face looking fearful. Harry wore the same look.

" _Kill this time… let me rip… tear…_ "

"Hermione!" Alicia's voice was panicked as Harry shouted aloud for Ron, both of them jumping away from them in alarm

"The voice!" said Harry looking at Alicia who nodded "I just heard it again — didn't you?"

"And it doesn't want to petrify, it wants to kill…" Alicia whispered

Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Harry — I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"

And she sprinted away, up the stairs.

"No! Hermione!" Alicia shouted worried

" _What_ does she understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from.

"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head.

"But why's she got to go to the library?"

"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."

"She's an idiot! She can't go running around like that." Alicia said aggravated.

The front steps began to fill as people exited the Great Hall and the chatter increased

"You'd better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven — the match —"

Harry grabbed Alicia and raced up to Gryffindor Tower where they collected their brooms, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds. Neither of them were completely concentrated on the game however as they pulled on their scarlet robes.

The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics.

Alicia began to mount her broom with Harry when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.

"Oh god," Alicia said worried, she could only think of one thing that happened after the cold voice had sounded.

"This match has been canceled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.

"But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play — the Cup — _Gryffindor_ —"

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone:

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"

Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Alicia and Harry over to her.

"Potter, Evans, I think you'd better come with me…"

Immediately Alicia turned to look around the stands, her fears bubbling to the surface quickly. She watched as Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd, but he as alone.

"Alicia?" Harry asked as Ron came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object.

"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley…"

"No…" Alicia muttered shaking her head. She ignored all of them and McGonagall and ran for the castle

"Alicia!" Harry shouted.

She ignored him and ran straight for the hospital wing.

Alicia stopped dead as she noticed two new beds had been filled. In one of them was a sixth-year Ravenclaw girl with curly hair, and in the other was Hermione.

Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.

Alicia didn't move as Harry and Ron were lead in by Professor McGonagall.

"Alicia," Harry said as he looked at her, but her eyes were fixed on Hermione.

"This is why I said she can't run off alone." Alicia whispered. Harry looked at her confused before turning to the beds. Ron did the same.

 _"Hermione_!" Ron groaned

"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them…"

She was holding up a small, circular mirror.

Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. While Alicia seemed frozen herself.

"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case."

Harry took Alicia's hand and placed the other around her shoulders, leading her out of the Hospital wing and after McGonagall to the Gryffindor tower. She was sat in a comfy arm chair as McGonagall demanded attention, shushing the worried and confused whispers.

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."

The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately.

"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff," said the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't _any_ of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it _obvious_ all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The _Heir_ of Slytherin, the _monster_ of Slytherin — why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.

Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned.

"Percy's in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl — Penelope Clearwater — she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a _prefect._ "

But Harry was only half-listening. He kept glancing at Alicia who stared at the fire, like she, he didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone.

"What're we going to do?" said Ron quietly in Harry's ear. "D'you think they suspect Hagrid?"

"If they did he wouldn't still be on the grounds." Alicia whispered, not turning to either of them.

"We've got to go and talk to him," said Harry, making up his mind. "I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start."

Harry looked at Alicia who finally turned to look at him, her face hard and determined.

"We can't sit around twiddling our thumbs anymore." she agreed

"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class —"

"I think," said Harry, more quietly still, looking at Alicia "it's time to get our dad's old cloak out again." She nodded and looked at Ron, he glanced between the two before he nodded also, agreeing.

Harry had inherited just one thing from his father: a long and silvery Invisibility Cloak. It was their only chance of sneaking out of the school to visit Hagrid without anyone knowing about it. They went to bed at the usual time and Alicia stared at Hermione's empty bed pretending to be asleep as she waited for Parvati and Lavender to fall asleep. When they did she redressed and walked to the boy's dormitory door.

After a minute or so the door opened but no one was there. Alicia knew they were under the cloak.

"Come on." Harry's voice sounded and he lifted the cloak slightly for her to climb under.

"Remember, it's harder with three of us and we've grown." she said obviously before they made their way out of the common room.

The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn't enjoyable. Harry and Alicia, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot where Snape stood standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at almost exactly the moment Ron swore. It was with relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open.

It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows of Hagrid's house and pulled off the cloak only when they were right outside his front door.

Seconds after they had knocked, Hagrid flung it open. They found themselves face-to-face with him aiming a crossbow at them. Fang the boarhound barked loudly behind him.

"Holy!—" Alicia began

"Oh," he said, lowering the weapon and staring at them. "What're you three doin' here?"

"What's that for?" said Harry, pointing at the crossbow as they stepped inside.

"Nothin' — nothin' — " Hagrid muttered. "I've bin expectin' — doesn' matter — Sit down — I'll make tea —"

He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He nearly extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of his massive hand.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" said Harry. "Did you hear about Hermione?"

"Oh, I heard, all righ'," said Hagrid, a slight break in his voice.

He kept glancing nervously at the windows. Alicia realised he was worried, nervous or scared. Perhaps all of the above. She didn't blame him, he'd been accused of causing all this havoc before, what was to stop anyone from accusing him again?

Hagrid poured them all large mugs of boiling water (he had forgotten to add tea bags) and was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door.

Hagrid dropped the fruitcake. Harry and Ron exchanged panic-stricken looks as Alicia grabbed the invisibility cloak and threw it over herself and the boys before they retreated into a corner. Hagrid checked that they were hidden, seized his crossbow, and flung open his door once more.

"Good evening, Hagrid."

It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very odd-looking man.

The stranger had rumpled grey hair and an anxious expression, and was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler.

"That's Dad's boss!" Ron breathed. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!"

Harry elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up while Alicia looked at him surprised.

"This can't be good." she said under her breath.

Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge.

"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge in rather clipped tones. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."

"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. "You know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir —"

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge.

"Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably. "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something — the school governors have been in touch —"

"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were full of a fire Alicia never thought they could contain.

"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty —"

"Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology —"

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.

Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door.

Dumbledore answered it. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs; he'd let out an audible gasp.

Alicia glared.

Mr. Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swathed in a long black traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang started to growl.

"Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly. "Good, good…"

"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!"

"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your — er — d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoy, sneering as he looked around the small cabin. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" said Dumbledore. He spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in his blue eyes.

" _Dreadful_ thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension — you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an _awful_ loss that would be to the school."

Alicia's fists balled and she ground her teeth. Both boys placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down, but she could tell Harry wasn't any happier as his grip was tight on her shoulder.

"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended — no, no — last thing we want just now —"

"The appointment — or suspension — of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy smoothly. "And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks —"

"See here, Malfoy, if _Dumbledore_ can't stop them," said Fudge, whose upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who _can_?"

"That remains to be seen," said Mr. Malfoy with a nasty smile. "But as all twelve of us have voted —"

Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling.

"An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all."

"Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at Lucius Malfoy. "If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside —"

"But —" stuttered Fudge.

" _No_!" growled Hagrid.

Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold grey ones.

"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only _truly_ have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Alicia's fists relaxed and she looked surprised as Dumbledore's eyes flickered to where she, Harry and Ron stood hidden.

"Admirable sentiments," said Malfoy, bowing. "We shall all miss your — er — highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope that your successor will manage to prevent any — ah — _killins._ "

He strode to the cabin door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "If anyone wanted ter find out some _stuff,_ all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the _spiders._ That'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

Fudge stared at him in amazement.

"All right, I'm comin'," said Hagrid, pulling on his moleskin overcoat. But as he was about to follow Fudge through the door, he stopped again and said loudly, "An' someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away."

The door banged shut and Ron pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.

"I hate the Malfoy's." Alicia said instantly

"We're in trouble now," Ron said hoarsely. "No Dumbledore. They might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day with him gone."

"Then we need to figure something, anything, out." Alicia said strongly, looking at Harry who nodded.

Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid visible from the castle windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't look right; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle, where things were so horribly wrong.

Alicia, Harry and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing.

"We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off…"

With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.

Alicia remembered both Hagrid and Dumbledore's last words, trying to find some reassurance in them. But even Dumbledores didn't seem to help at the current moment.

" _I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me…_ _Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it._ " But what good were these words? Who exactly were they supposed to ask for help, when everyone was just as confused and scared as they were?

Hagrid's hint about the spiders was far easier to understand — the trouble was, there didn't seem to be a single spider left in the castle to follow. Alicia and Harry looked everywhere they went, helped (rather reluctantly) by Ron. They were hampered, of course, by the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other Gryffindors. Most of their fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but both Alicia and Harry found it very irksome.

One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion which didn't surprise Alicia at all. Draco Malfoy was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. No one realise what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle.

"I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't _want_ the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in…"

Snape swept past Harry who grabbed Alicia's threatening wand to stop her

"Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't _you_ apply for the headmaster's job?"

"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job — _I'll_ tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir —"

Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.

"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —"

Alicia lost it and Malfoy's potion exploded in his face as she hit it with the Waddiwasi charm.

The bell rang in the moment Snape turned to address him. Alicia wasn't the only one who'd acted. Ron had sprung to his feet and was scrambling over the table towards him, of course with the commotion of everyone leaving Snape didn't notice.

"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands —"

Snape, when he was done dealing with Malfoy, got impatient of everyone taking too long to clean up.

"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. It was only safe to let go of him when Snape had seen them out of the castle and they were making their way across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses.

The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin and Hermione.

Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Harry went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found himself face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologise for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —"

He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it.

"Told you." Alicia muttered to which Ernie nodded and sighed, apologising to her as well.

Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Alicia, Harry and Ron.

"That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think _he_ might be Slytherin's heir."

"That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry.

"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.

"No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared.

"We already suspected him." Alicia sighed "Unfortunately we got the confession that proved he wasn't." she muttered

A second later, Harry spotted something.

Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. Harry hit Ron over the hand with his pruning shears as she grabbed Alicia with the other hand.

" _Ouch_! What're you —"

Harry pointed out the spiders, following their progress with his eyes screwed up against the sun.

"Oh, yeah," said Ron, trying, and failing, to look pleased. "But we can't follow them now —"

Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. Alicia however was looking in the direction they were heading. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up.

"Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest…" Harry realised

And Ron looked even unhappier about that.

"Good." Alicia said before looking at Harry and Ron "We have a destination."

At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry, Alicia and Ron lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot.

"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told Ron. "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help."

"And remember what Hagrid said last year, nothing in that forest will hurt us if we're with him or Fang." Alicia nodded

"Right," said Ron, who was twirling his wand nervously in his fingers. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" he added as they took their usual places at the back of Lockhart's classroom.

Preferring not to answer that question, Harry said, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns…"

"The centaurs are only all right when we're not talking nonsense." Alicia rolled her eyes.

Ron had never been into the Forbidden Forest before. Harry and Alicia had entered it only once and the experience hadn't been the best.

Lockhart bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant.

"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?"

People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered.

"Don't you people realise," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away —"

"Says who?" said Dean Thomas loudly.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.

"Oh, yes he would," said Ron, even more loudly than Dean.

"I flatter myself I know a _touch_ more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone.

"And how do you know that?" Alicia wondered "We always seem more intuitive than you." she snapped before Harry grabbed her arm and shut her up, doing the same to Ron who's just started to say that he didn't think so.

"We weren't there, remember?" Harry muttered sending Alicia look.

"Not like he can do anything. Dumbledore knew we were there and who's going to believe _him_?" Alicia pointed at the teacher.

Lockhart's disgusting cheeriness, his hints that he had always thought Hagrid was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, irritated Alicia so much that she was ready to hit Lockhart's 'oh so perfect face' with a stinging jinx. She was luckily distracted when Harry sent her and Ron a note: _Let's do it tonight._

Alicia nodded immediately before giving the note to Ron. Ron read the message, swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded.

The Gryffindor common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Gryffindors had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until past midnight.

Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Alicia and Ginny sat watching them, Ginny being very subdued in Hermione's usual chair. Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed.

Alicia, Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole.

It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the moonlit grounds.

"'Course," said Ron abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but…"

"That's just your fear of spiders talking." Alicia smirked slightly.

They reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Harry pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, they hastily fed him treacle toffee from a tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his teeth together.

Harry left the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table. There would be no need for it in the pitch-dark forest.

"C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk," said Harry, patting his leg, and Fang bounded happily out of the house behind them, dashed to the edge of the forest, and lifted his leg against a large sycamore tree.

"I can't see anything." Harry said

"That's an easy fix." And Alicia raised her wand " _Lumos_." the tip lit up instantly and shone about two meters out from them all. Harry took out his wand and followed suit. The two lights lit up just enough to let them watch the path for signs of spiders.

"Good thinking," said Ron. "I'd light mine, too, but you know — it'd probably blow up or something…" Alicia was scanning the ground before Harry tapped her shoulder. She followed his gaze as he did the same to Ron and pointed at the grass. Two solitary spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees.

"Okay," Ron sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. Let's go."

So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Alicia and Harry's wands, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and the two wands shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path.

"Remember what Hagrid said…" Alicia muttered as she and Harry paused, Harry trying to see where the spiders had gone. "Don't leave the path…" she sang silently. She looked at Harry who shared her look, he turned to Ron who's eyes they could just make out reflecting in the wand light.

"What d'you reckon?" Harry said to Ron

"We've come this far," said Ron.

"Do I need to do a Hermione and recite spells just in case?" Alicia asked as she took a deep breath. She was the first to step forwards and leave the path, Harry close behind her and Ron very close behind him.

"Maybe not a heap, we'll never remember."

"Well _Reducto_ 's a good one. As well as _Stupefy_ … depending on what we come up against." Alicia admitted.

They followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. More than once, they had to stop, so that either Harry or Alicia could crouch down and find the spiders in the wandlight.

They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.

Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making Alicia, Harry and Ron jump out of their skins.

"What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard.

"There's something moving over there," Harry breathed. "Listen… sounds like something big…"

They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees.

"Oh, no," said Ron. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh —"

"Shut up," said Harry frantically. "It'll hear you."

"Hear _me_?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Fang!"

"Will you calm down." Alicia hissed at him.

The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

"What d'you think it's doing?" said Harry.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron.

They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.

"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered.

"Dunno —"

"Let's find out." Alicia muttered " _Lumos Maxima!_ " the light from her wand suddenly sprung forth and into the trees, lighting up everything. Though after a few minutes, she needn't worried. A sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that all of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes appeared. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief. "Harry, it's our car!"

" _What_?" both twins chorused

"Come on!"

Harry and Alicia blundered after Ron, Alicia's bright light vanishing as they did, toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing.

Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, openmouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.

"It's been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild…"

The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes.

"And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ron, leaning against the car and patting it. "I wondered where it had gone!"

Harry followed Alicia's lead who was still using her wand to look around for the spiders they'd lost.

"I can't see any." Harry groaned

"It seem's we scared them off." Alicia grumbled in a huff as she put her wand in her robes also.

"We've lost the trail," he stated. "C'mon, let's go and find them."

Ron didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror. Alicia bit her lip in slight aggravation as she turned to look at what he'd spotted.

Harry didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and something long and hairy seize Harry around the middle and lift him off the ground, so that he was hanging facedown. Alicia backed away before something grabbed her as well and hung her upside down. Ron was whimpering as Alicia guessed he'd been seized as she heard Fang whimpering and howling — next moment, she was being swept away into the dark trees.

Alicia had seen what grabbed Harry and shuddered at the thought of the six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two of which were clutching her tightly below a pair of shining black pincers.

They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Fang was fighting to free himself from a fourth monster, whining loudly.

"It's alright Fang." Alicia tried to assure

"How is this alright?!" Ron's fearful voice sounded. She didn't answer.

They were carried through the trees for a long time and Alicia felt the blood rushing to her head and making her slightly dizzy. Then suddenly the darkness lifted enough for her to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. Craning her neck sideways, she realised that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene she had ever laid eyes on.

"Oh… my… god…" she said slowly

Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Alicia made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very centre of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.

Alicia fell to the ground and Harry landed near her on all fours as the spiders released them. Ron and Fang thudded down next to them. Fang wasn't howling anymore, but cowering silently on the spot. Alicia thought Ron might pass out, his mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes were popping.

Alicia, though didn't want to, looked around her as she got to her feet and in the silence, realised that the first spider, the one that had been carrying Harry, was _talking._ It was at first hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke.

"Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!"

And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was grey in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind.

"What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly.

"Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry.

"Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.

"Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ron.

"Kill them," clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping…"

"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted.

"Hagrid sent us." Alicia added quickly

 _Click, click, click_ went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow.

Aragog paused.

"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly.

"Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come."

"In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has he sent you?"

"Because he's not here to come himself." Alicia admitted "We're worried about him."

"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a — a — something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban." Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except but this applause didn't give Alicia any relief, only more fear.  
"But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that _I_ was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

"And you… you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry

"I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…"

Harry seemed to summon courage as he spoke next.

"So you never — never attacked anyone?"

"Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet…"

"Bathroom…" Alicia muttered, her eyebrows furrowing

"But then… Do you know what _did_ kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again —" His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around them.

"The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school."

"What is it?" said Harry urgently.

More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in.

"Harry, I think that's a touchy subject." Alicia admitted as she glanced around.

"We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times."

Harry agreed with Alicia and didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Alicia, Harry and Ron.

Alicia felt worried now, like they'd overstayed their welcome and the consequences for doing so would be the worst ever. Several spells crossed her mind

"We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him.

"Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not…"

"But — but —"

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid."

Alicia had her hand on her wand as Harry spun around. Feet away, towering above them, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads.

"Alicia… A spell would be great!" Harry admitted

"I don't think I have one for this many!" Alicia admitted. She thought furiously as Harry tried to stand, ready to die fighting.

Alicia flicked her wand and suddenly several Spiders couldn't come any closer, but were moving away.

"What did you do?"

"Repelling charm…" she said "but I don't know it's limits or extents. We need a plan… like now!" at that moment a long note sounded and the flash of headlights emerged from the trees and blazed through the hollow.

Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Alicia, Harry and Ron and the doors flew open.

"Get Fang!" Harry yelled, Alicia and him diving into the front seat; Ron seized the boarhound around the middle and threw him, yelping, into the back of the car — the doors slammed shut — Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.

Harry looked sideways at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping anymore.

"Are you okay?"

Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak.

"Let's ask him when we're back at Hagrid's hut shall we?" Alicia suggested, keeping her eyes ahead, sightly worried they were going to hit something.  
They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and the side mirror snapped off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky.

The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out, and when Harry opened the door, he shot off through the trees to Hagrid's house, tail between his legs. Alicia and Harry got out too, and after a minute or so, Ron seemed to regain the feeling in his limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. Harry gave the car a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view.

"Holy crap." Alicia muttered as she ran her hands through her hair, several strands had come out of the low pony tail she'd had it tied up in.

Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. Alicia stared at the castle for reassurance that they were alright while Ron was being violently sick in the pumpkin patch.

"Follow the spiders," said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."

"I'm with Ron on this one. Yes thank you for helping, Hagrid, to give us information but next time a little more warning would be great!" Alicia snapped

"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," said Harry.

"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!" He was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"

"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, throwing the cloak over Ron and Alicia and prodding Ron in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent."

Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent.

"And that the girl died in a bathroom…" Alicia muttered

"Oh and how's that helpful?" Ron demanded. Alicia didn't answer as her mind raced. She knew of someone who died in a bathroom. And they were still here.

Myrtle.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Alicia found out that Harry had understood about the dead girl like she had, only an hour or so afterwards.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ron demanded

"Honestly Ronald I can't do all the thinking for you." she said with a roll of their eyes as they sat at breakfast the next day.

"All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away," said Ron bitterly "and we could've asked her,"

"Or she could have said something, we must've mention the Heir of Slytherin and the chamber several times with her listening." Alicia grumbled annoyed

"And now…" Ron continued

It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls' bathroom, the girls' bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible.

But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

" _Exams_?" howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting _exams_?"

"Hermione's gonna kill herself when she finds out." Alicia muttered monotony

"That's what you're worried about?" Ron questioned

There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus.

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Not many people agreed with McGonagall. With the castle in it's current state, exams were completely pushed from their mind. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.

"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible," she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. Alicia had made three pairs already.

Ron looked as though he'd just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.

"Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly.

And then of course both boys, in a ray of hope, turned to Alicia.

"Oh man." she huffed, understanding.

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days.

"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" he said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."

"I'll say. It's bad enough I'm tutoring you two, Hermione will have me up giving her a word by word play back of every lesson since she's been out." Alicia rolled her eyes

Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.

"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face. Alicia looked at her concerned.

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.

"Ron," Alicia said as she noticed Ginny looked worried, scared and discomforted. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, like she was on the edge of revealing some sort of information.

"I've got to tell you something," Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry.

"What is it?" said Harry. Ginny looked as though she couldn't find the right words.

" _What_?" said Ron.

"Ronald!" Alicia said "Can't you see she's struggling, be more understanding wont you."

Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Alicia, Ginny and Ron could hear him.

"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?"

Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan.

"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."

Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the centre of the table.

"Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.

"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing.

"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say —"

"Oh — that — that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once.

"How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was — well, never mind — the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather —"

Harry had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.

"What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh."

"Speak for yourself." Alicia said.

Percy didn't smile back.

"Pass me those rolls, Harry, I'm starving."

* * *

"I still want to talk to Myrtle, whether every petrified person will be alright or not." Alicia said to Harry later in the day. He nodded in agreement

"She might be able to tell us something the others cant."

"Only question is, how do we get to her?" Alicia sighed annoyed.

To their delight the question was answered, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart.

Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.

"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor petrified people's mouths will be ' _It was Hagrid._ ' Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir," said Harry, making Ron drop his books in surprise.

"Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…"

"And if the danger's gone then why do we need chaperoning?" Alicia wondered with a smile

"That's right," said Ron, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go —"

"You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare my next class —"

And he hurried off.

"Prepare his class," Ron sneered after him. "Gone to curl his hair, more like." Alicia snickered.

They let the rest of the Gryffindors draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme —

"Evans! Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?"

Alicia groaned silently

It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.

"We were — we were —" Ron stammered. "We were going to — to go and see —"

"Hermione," said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him. "We haven't seen her for ages, Professor," Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron's foot, "and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —"

"Even if she can't respond she might be able to hear us, and you know Hermione she's going to be distraught that she hasn't studied for Exams, only to wake up three days before." Alicia sighed looking upset for her friend. Unlike the boys she didn't stutter over her words.

Professor McGonagall was still staring at them, and for a moment, it seemed like she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice.

"Of course," she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye. "Of course, I realise this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been… I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."

Alicia, Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they'd avoided detention. As they turned the corner, they distinctly heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose.

"That," said Ron fervently, "was the best story you've ever come up with. Alicia, you're lying is too good."

"It's a talent." Alicia smiled looking proud.

They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall's permission to visit Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly.

"There's just no _point_ talking to a petrified person," she said, and they had to admit she had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Hermione. It was plain that Hermione didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do.

"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know…"

"I don't know Ron, she had that mirror for a reason." Alicia reminded him.

But Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face. He was more interested in her right hand. It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was scrunched inside her fist.

"What?" Alicia asked quietly, noticing his look. Harry, making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, pointed to Hermione's hand where Alicia noticed the paper.

The boys looked at Alicia as her face showed recognition and her eyes darted around as her mind worked.

"Remember just before Hermione was petrified." she said "She ran to the library after Harry and I heard the voice…" the boys nodded "Hermione worked it out." she said "She worked out something about the chamber or the monster." Alicia looked at Hermione's hand

"I bet that's going to be what she found."

"Try and get it out," Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey's view.

It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it. While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free.

It was a page torn from a very old library book. Harry smoothed it out eagerly and Alicia and Ron leaned close to read it, too.

 _Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents._

Alicia sat back in her chair, not needing to read anymore. She'd already read this book, Hermione and forced it to her the year before.

The boys looked at her stunned face before they counted to read.

 _This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognised as Hermione's. _Pipes_.

"It's a basilisk." Alicia muttered " _A basilisk!"_ why hadn't she noticed it. The spiders running when ever there was an attack, Hagrid and the dead roosters. And only she and Harry could hear it's voice!

"What?" Ron asked her

"Ron," Harry breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a _basilisk_ — a giant serpent! _That's_ why Alicia and I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue…"

Alicia hit herself several times in the forehead in her aggravation.

"Bloody Hermione." Alicia muttered "She understood what it was and went running off." she then sighed "I can't beat her at this one even if my school results are better." she was smiling slightly though.

Harry looked up at the beds around him.

"The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got petrified. Justin… Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die _again_ … and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realised the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror — and —"

Ron's jaw had dropped.

"And Mrs. Norris?" he whispered eagerly.

"Water." Alicia said immediately. Harry nodded

"The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection…" He scanned the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense.

"… _The crowing of the rooster_ … _is fatal to it_!" he read aloud.

"Hagrid's roosters were killed!" Harry said to Alicia

"He wanted to magic proof the chook house." she nodded

"The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! _Spiders flee before it_! It all fits!"

"But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron. "A giant snake… Someone would've seen…"

Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page.

"Pipes," he said. "Pipes… Ron, it's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls…"

"I don't think it was always using the pipes." Alicia muttered

"Why?" Harry asked

"Every time the basilisk attacked, there was water on the floor. I remember thinking it was weird with Mrs Norris but it happened at least once more after that. And how does it get out of the walls if it's using the pipes? There'd have to be a huge exit somewhere in the castle." Alicia explained

Ron suddenly grabbed both Alicia and Harry's arm.

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" he said hoarsely. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in —"

"— _Moaning Myrtle's bathroom_ ," said Alicia and Harry.

They sat there, excitement coursing through them, hardly able to believe it.

"This means," said Harry, "I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too. That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."

"What's how Slytherin made it so only his Heir could find and control it. Remember what I said to Professor Binns, it would have to be something rare." Alicia grinned

"What're we going to do?" said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to McGonagall?"

"Let's go to the staffroom," said Harry, jumping up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staffroom. It was a large, panelled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too excited to sit down.

But the bell to signal break never came.

Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.

" _All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please_."

Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron.

"Not another attack? Not now?"

"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"No," said Harry, glancing around

"If we get caught here, no matter what we know we're toast!" Alicia thought. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to Harry's left, full of the teachers' cloaks.

"In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

"As long as they don't see us coming out." Alicia muttered.

They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staffroom door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived.

"It has happened," she told the silent staffroom. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. ' _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever._ ' "

Professor Flitwick burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Ron slid silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him. Alicia froze.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, it seemed sure that it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.

"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"Wh—" Harry's hand was over Alicia's mouth as she'd opened it in shock. No way this num-nut knew anything!

"I — well, I —" sputtered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall —"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got _him_ out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

It was the worst day ever. Alicia, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory.

No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.

"She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staffroom. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was —" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pureblood. There can't be any other reason."

"And she looked so worried yet desperate about it too." Alicia nodded "Percy being a Prefect, she didn't want to tell him…" she looked confused. Could Ginny have been feeling guilty or something? But what for?

The sun was sinking, blood-red, below the skyline.

"Harry," said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not — you know —"

"She couldn't have been gone more then a couple of hours." Alicia said shaking her head "I don't think so, it took her into the chamber instead of just making an example of her or something…" Alicia muttered. She looked at Ron hard who suddenly shared her expression.

"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

Alicia stood up first and Harry, glancing at them both nodded and agreed. The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole.

Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.

Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"Oh — Miss Evans — Mr. Potter — Mr. Weasley —" he said, opening the door a bit wider. Alicia looked confused, since when had Lockhart ever called Harry 'Mr Potter'? "I'm rather busy at the moment — if you would be quick —"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

"Er — well — it's not terribly —" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean — well — all right —"

He opened the door and they entered.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight-blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

Alicia crossed her arms and glared at the phoney teacher.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry.

"Leaving?" Alicia wondered at the same time

"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call — unavoidable — got to go —"

"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily.

"Well, as to that — most unfortunate —" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I —"

"You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Told you he'd be gone by the end of the year." Alicia snapped angrily "You're running away you bloody coward!"

"Well — I must say — when I took the job —" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description — didn't expect —"

"It's jinxed remember." Alicia said cockily. She wasn't at all surprised about this "You shouldn't have bragged if you didn't intend of following up!"

"You mean you _are_ running away? said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books —"

"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately.

"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think _I'd_ done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy chin. I mean, come on —"

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.

"I'm not at all surprised actually." Alicia said simply and the boys looked at her slightly surprised.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."

He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them.

"Awfully sorry, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —"

Alicia already had her wand on the teacher, glaring harder then she ever at at him so far as Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, " _Expelliarmus_!"

Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think _we_ know where it is. _And_ what's inside it."

"Think?" Alicia asked "Try know. And we just found the perfect bait to send in." she smiled and the boys looked at her.

"What?" she wondered

"Let's go." Harry said not answering.

They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking.

Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," said Harry.

Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a _boy_ speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I _died._ "

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"I can imagine." Alicia chuckled slightly

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Alicia, Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"That's because it's not connected to anything." Alicia realised "It's probably hollow on the other side." she looked at Harry who's expression showed he agreed.

"Harry, Alicia, one of you," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But —" Harry thought hard.

"We haven't been able to do it without a snake before us." Alicia sighed and looked at Harry who nodded.

"Best time to learn." Ron admitted

Harry stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.

"Open up," he said.

He looked at Ron, who shook his head.

"English," he said.

Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive.

"I think I've got an idea." Alicia admitted "I read a little spell that intrigued me dearly." she grinned and tapped her wand to the small snake on the tap. " _Piertotum Locomotor_ "

The snake seemed to jump off the tap and slithered around in the sink.

Alicia and Harry shared a look before they both took a deep breath

"Open up," they chorused.

Except that the words weren't what they'd heard; a strange hissing had escaped them, and Alicia covered her mouth surprised afterwards. She looked at Harry surprised as, at once, the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

Alicia and Harry both looked down the pipeline as Ron gasped.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking aren't you." Alicia realised without looking at him.

"Probably." Harry nodded as they shared a look. She smiled slightly and turned to Ron.

"We're going down there," Harry said.

"We're the only ones who can do something." Alicia admitted.

"Me too," said Ron.

There was a pause.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just —"

He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.

Alicia however was the only one who acted

" _Impervius._ " Lockhart was repelled away from the door as though someone had pushed him. He looked at the three.

"You can go first," Ron snarled.

White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening. "Boys," he said, his voice feeble. "Boys, what good will it do?" Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.

"I really don't think —" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go. Alicia went after with a look at Ron.

"Thank you Myrtle." she smiled at the ghost before falling down the pipe.

It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. She could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward.

"Pretty sure this goes lower then the dungeons and the trap door we went down last year." Alicia said, not needing to raise her voice in the slightest thanks to the echo.

"Think one year we wont go down some spooky tunnel to save the school?" she asked with a grin. Behind her she could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves, groan at her statement.

And then the pipe began to level out, and Alicia saw Harry shoot out the end before she followed, hitting the ground with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry pulled Alicia aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too.

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.

"Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls.

"That would explain the dampness." Alicia nodded as she raised her wand and the tip lit up like a torch.

" _Lumos_!" Harry muttered to his wand and it lit also. "C'mon," he said to Ron and Lockhart, sharing a nod with Alicia, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor.

The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.

"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…"

"And if we get eaten or bitten instead?" Alicia wondered casually "Or did you forget about the venomous fangs?" Harry shot her a look and she shrugged "Just relieving the tension." she muttered.

The tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud _crunch_ as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones.

"I guess that's all it can get down here." Alicia muttered. "Or maybe it's from when it was small."

"What do you mean small?" Ron asked

"Remember what the clipping said, _'This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years'_." Alicia said, The boys looked confused.

"Come on, this snake's been here since Slytherin's time, you expect it to be normal sized?" she asked. She walked past the boys as they suddenly understood what she mean.

They began to follow her again, Lockhart still as white as a ghost before Ron stopped.

"Harry — there's something up there —" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder. Harry grabbed Alicia and stopped her as they froze, watching.

Ahead, they could see just the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving.

"Maybe it's asleep," Harry breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes.

Alicia took a deep breath slowly.

"Let's, find, out." she said ever so slowly, and, not releasing Harry's hand, she walked forwards. Harry raised his wand, his eyes narrowed as Alicia watched for any movement from the outline. Alicia raised her own wand and the light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.

"Blimey," said Ron weakly.

"Told you." Alicia said, releasing the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "It's not going to be small enough to stand on.

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart got to his feet — then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.

Harry jumped forward, but too late — Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.

Alicia raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, not at all feeling threatened.

"The adventure ends here, boys!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two _tragically_ lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body — say good-bye to your memories!"

"With that wand?" Alicia asked, but Lockhart didn't listen. He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled, " _Obliviate_!"

The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, pulling Alicia with him before he slipped over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, they were standing alone, Alicia coughing from the dust, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron!" Harry shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!"

"Ron?" Alicia asked cautiously as she got as close as possible to the rock wall.

"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay — this git's not, though — he got blasted by the wand —"

"I tried to warn him." Alicia muttered, letting out a sigh of relieve when Ron spoke. There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through — it'll take ages…"

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it.

"Got anything that could clear it away?" Harry asked Alicia

"A couple of hover spells that'd work but no way would you try and blast it. You could cause a bigger cave in." Alicia admitted, following Harry's eyes to the celling.

There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours…

"Wait there," Harry called to Ron. He looked at Alicia who's eyes hardened. She glanced down the tunnel and nodded. "Wait with Lockhart. We'll go on…. If we're not back in an hour…"

There was a very pregnant pause.

"I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can — can get back through."

"Try the hover spell from last year Ron." Alicia said "Or _Mobiliarbus_. It'll lift something a few inches off the ground and to where you point your wand too." she said "Be careful which rocks you move however, you don't want an avalanche." she looked at Harry biting her lip slightly.

"Right. Thanks." Ron answered, Alicia could picture him nodding and looking uncertain by that "And, Alicia… Harry —"

"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice.

The two twins shared a look and Alicia took his hand in hers again, giving it a confident squeeze as she smiled slightly.

They glanced at the rock behind them before setting off past the giant snake skin.

Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Alicia didn't like that the tunnel continued. She didn't like the suspense that was growing thicker and thicker by the second. She wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what they'd find when it did. She looked at Harry and from his expression, assumed he felt the same.

And then, at last, as they crept around yet another bend, they saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

Alicia and Harry approached. There was no need to bring to life or pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive.

Harry cleared his throat as Alicia looked at him, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.

" _Open,_ " said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside, Alicia's hand tightening on his hand as she accompanied him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

They were standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents which rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place.

Both Alicia and Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Alicia could feel her heart in every part of her body and wouldn't have been surprised if Harry could hear it. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny?

Harry pulled out his wand and after a nod from Alicia who took a step forward, the two moved between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. Both of their eyes were narrow, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following them.

Then, as they drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.

Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous grey feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor.

"What do you reckon that's Slytherin?" Alicia whispered, but her voice still seemed to echo. Harry looked at her before his eyes travelled along the statue and to the floor. He suddenly noticed, between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.

" _Ginny_!" Harry muttered. Alicia's head snapped down and instantly, the two were sprinting to her and dropping to their knees. "Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —" Harry muttered as he flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't petrified. But then she must be —

Alicia took Ginny's wrist and put two fingers to it before she was still. Harry watched her before Alicia looked up.

"She's alive, but her pulse… even I can tell it's weak." Alicia muttered looking back at Ginny worried. "It's like it's slowing down…"

"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side.

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees, Alicia's head snapped up surprised.

A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though you were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him —

"Tom — _Tom Riddle_?"

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"But…" Alicia looked at him confused, he looked the exact same as he had in the memory he'd shown them from the diary, sixteen years old… he didn't look like a ghost but she didn't understand how else he could be here.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not — she's not — ?"

"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."  
Harry stared at him.

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly. Alicia glanced between the two before she settled on Riddle again. Something about him screamed wrong…

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Alicia looked at the diary confused… how the hell had it gotten there? Someone had stolen it from… Alicia turned and looked at Ginny, sitting back down.

Ginny? Ginny stole the book? But why would Ginny need Riddle's diary? How would she even know about it… was this why she was here?

"You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk… I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment… Please, help me —"

Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. Alicia however didn't move. Ginny somehow had Riddles' diary and both of them were here where a deadly snake was housed.

Alicia looked back at Riddle, at the same time as Harry she noticed he was still watching him — twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers. Alicia also noticed the obvious Slytherin coloured tie around Riddle's neck.

And she understood. Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago when the chamber was opened, and now, preserved as a memory in a diary he was back and the same thing was happening. How he'd gotten out of the diary and how he'd done it, she didn't know. How Ginny was involved, she didn't know. But Riddle was it. Riddle was the culprit.

Slytherin's heir.

"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for the wand.

"Harry." Alicia said strongly, swallowing as she rose to her feet, her hand gripping firmly to her own wand. Harry looked at her and a confused expression crossed his face as she saw her hard one, staring at Riddle.

A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at them, twirling the wand idly. He was now examine Alicia, as though knowing she'd figured it out.

"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. " _We've got to go_! If the basilisk comes —"

"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly.

Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer.

"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it —"

Riddle's smile broadened.

"You won't be needing it," he said. Harry stared at him.

"What d'you mean, I won't be — ?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the _Chamber of Secrets._ We can talk later —"

"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

Harry stared at him.

"Harry," Alicia said again, her eyes seemingly glued to Riddle "He's the one." she said simply. Harry looked from Alicia to Riddle.

"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

"The diary," Alicia understood. Harry glanced between Alicia, Ginny, the diary and Riddle, who smiled at Alicia and nodded.

" _My_ diary." he corrected "Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers _tease_ her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how" — Riddle's eyes glinted — "how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would _ever_ like her…" Alicia frowned slightly, knowing all about her worries after her time in the burrow. Alicia had never imagined Ginny was also writing about it in a diary.

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"It's very _boring,_ having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply _loved_ me. _No one's ever understood me like you, Tom…_ _I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…_ "

Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. Alicia felt the hairs on he neck stand up but she glared at Riddle for treating Ginny as such.

"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted… I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of _my_ secrets, to start pouring a little of _my_ soul back into _her…_ "

"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth seemed to have gone very dry.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly.

"You manipulated her." Alicia said angrily. "That's how she's involved."

"Manipulated her?" Harry asked. Alicia didn't look at her. Now it made _all_ made sense.

"Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."

"No," Harry whispered.

"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… _Dear Tom_ ," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, " _I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!_ "

"You took advantage of her." Alicia said in an audibly whisper.

Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where _you_ came in Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was _you,_ the very person I was most anxious to meet…"

"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry.

"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole _fascinating_ history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I was very surprised when Alicia wrote in the diary also though. Ginny hadn't mexntion anything about an _Alicia Potter_." he looked at her

"That's because only about four people know about Alicia _Potter_." Alicia said quietly "Turns out Harry wasn't the only one apart of that story Ginny told you." Her voice was only just above a whisper.

"And that's one of the reasons I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust —"

"You did the opposite." Alicia ground her teeth

"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but —"

Riddle laughed his high laugh again.

"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so _brave,_ school prefect, model student… on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls… but I admit, even _I_ was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought _someone_ must realise that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken _me_ five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance… as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!

"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed… Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did…"

"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted.

"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Noble?" Alicia sneered

"Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again —"

"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — _you._ "

Harry stared at him and Alicia glanced between the two.  
"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery — particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue…

"So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became _very_ boring. But there isn't much life left in her… She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last… I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched.

"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that _you_ — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did _you_ escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

Alicia looked at him confused.

"How is it that _two of you_ managed to escape him?! When you were nothing more than infants!?" Alicia watched as his eyes flickered between the two. Why would Tom care about something that, for him, hadn't even occurred yet?

"Why do you care how we escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time…"

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter…"

Alicia's eyes widened considerably as Tom pulled Harry's wand from his pocket. He began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

Tom Marvolo Riddle

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I Am Lord Voldemort

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Alicia stared at the sixteen year old memory. An orphan boy who had grown up just like Alicia and Harry, probably knowing nothing about his heritage.

This memory before her, grew up and murdered her parents, and attempted to murder her brother?

"You're not," Harry said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so."

"He also happens to be the only one Voldemort's afraid of." Alicia added quietly, glaring at the memory.

"Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days —"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere _memory_ of me!" he hissed.

"No. He's gone because of someone I suppose followed you." Alicia said. Malfoy had said his father knew what was going on in the castle. No doubt Lucius had been a follower like Ron said and as Voldemort hated Dumbledore, so did his sheep.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. Alicia knew he didn't really know what he was saying, even if you couldn't hear it in Harry's voice or see it in his face.

"Not as long as those here remain loyal to him." Alicia quoted Dumbledore.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; the tension and hatred within the room seemed to vanish and Alicia felt so much better, like her heart had swelled to twice the size. The song made her smile slightly, despite the situation. Despite the fact that Alicia and Harry had probably just angered the person who controls the fearsome basilisk. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Alicia and Harry felt it vibrating inside their own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

Alicia grinned as she recognised the bird. It could only belong to one person.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix…" said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes." Alicia nodded. Harry looked at her

" _Fawkes_?" Harry breathed.

"And _that_ —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —"

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark Chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once —

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Alicia and Harry shared a look. If this is what Dumbledore sent, then it would be more then enough to help. She tightened her hand on her wand and looked determined as she gaze went back to Riddle, the two waiting for him to stop laughing.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice — in _your_ past, in _my_ future — we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. _How did you survive_? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

Alicia glared at Riddle, sure they'd stay alive longer, but how long did Ginny have left? Riddle was dwindling the life out of the first year, and in the meantime, Riddle's outline seemed as though it was becoming clearer, more solid.

"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me _and Alicia_ ," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't _kill_ me. Because our mother died to save me. My common _Muggle-born_ mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul —"

"You can't hold you're own shape, you have to rely on others to live, share their body. You couldn't touch Harry because of our mother last year and you wont be able to touch him ever because of that! That's how Harry can keep escaping." Alicia hissed

Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile.

"So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful counter-charm. I can see now… there is nothing special about you, after all. Either of you. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only three Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself." Riddle glanced at Alicia "We even _look_ something alike… but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."

Alicia expected Riddle to raise Harry's wand, but Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. This didn't make her feel at all better.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…"

He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness.

Alicia moved around Ginny to stand beside Harry.

"I have a really scary feeling the basilisk is on it's way." she said, her hands shaking sightly at the thought. Harry looked at her but Alicia had her eyes fixed on where Riddle was looking

Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed — but both Alicia and Harry understood what he was saying…

" _Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four_."

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Alicia and Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry and Alicia backed away until they hit the dark Chamber wall, and as Harry shut his eyes, Alicia did the same. But she didn't feel any safer doing so, she was safe from the stare but not from it's fangs or coiling body and she couldn't see which way to run or point her wand. Were there any spells that would work on a giant snake?

Alicia heard wings and knew Forks had taken flight, leaving them.

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Alicia felt it shudder — she knew what was happening, she could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then she heard Riddle's hissing voice:

" _Kill him_."

The basilisk was moving toward Harry and Alicia; they could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Alicia grabbed Harry and the two began to run blindly sideways, Harry with his hands outstretched, feeling his way — Voldemort was laughing —

Harry tripped and pulled Alicia down with him. They fell hard onto the stone — the serpent was barely feet from them, she could hear it coming — There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above them, and then Harry was wrenched from Alicia's grip as something heavy hit him. Alicia slid along the floor as she heard Harry hit the wall, she waited to hear him cry out but it didn't come. She heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars —

She hated not knowing and so, starting by looking at the floor, she opened her eyes wide enough to just see through them. She raised her head slowly to see what was happening, confused.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. She turned to see Harry watching it also, he was slumped on the floor but still awake. Alicia turned back to the basilisk and saw what had distracted it in the first place.

Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabres —

Alicia got to her feet and quickly moved over to Harry and helped him to his feet, keeping her eyes away from the snake.

Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry and Alicia who ducked suddenly. They turned back but the basilisk turned straight at them. Both Alicia and Harry looked straight into its face, forgetting to turn away, and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.

" _NO!_ " they heard Riddle screaming. " _LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!_ "

The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes.

Alicia thought. It's sight was gone but it's smell was still there, whether Fawkes was attacking its nose or not, who knew if that would work… how could she eradicate the basilisks sense of smell?

"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly from beside her, "someone — anyone —"

And then she thought of something. Something she'd read and believed would be completely useless.

" _Orchideous_." she breathed. A bouquet of flowers sprouted from her wand. Voldemort began to laugh again. " _Orchideous_. _Orchideous. Orchideous. Orchideous_ " the floor was being filled with them and Harry was staring at her as though she was stupid. " _Orchideous Maxima_!" the room was filled with all different types of flowers, as though they were in a field and not in a chamber under the Black Lake.

"What are you doing?!" Harry demanded, his worry seeping through.

"I'd like to see your keen nose smell us with all these flowers." Alicia muttered, she smiled slightly before looking back at the snake, its eyes and nose bleeding.

"I don't know what to do now." Alicia muttered in worry, her mind racing.

The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry and Alicia ducked. Something soft hit Harry in the face.

The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance — he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again. Alicia ducking and holding at her wand, all the bits of rock went from the wall, where the serpents powerful tail had hit it, went flying in different directions, repelling away from the two.

Alicia turned to Harry shocked as she heard a loud clunk. It sounded as though something very hard and heavy had hit the top of Harry's head. Alicia grabbed the hat confused and pulled it off his head, She stopped though surprised. There was something long and hard inside the old hat.

Harry looked rather dizzy and she handed him the hat to feel it, confused.

A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

" _KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! SNIFF — SMELL HIM!_ "

Alicia looked around, the flowers were still there and she looked back at the snake. It's body was coiling and it's head turned around. It _couldn't_ smell them.

Harry was on his feet and slowly, Alicia was also. She looked at Harry, hoping he had some plan here. She looked at the snake and could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow the two of them whole and together, lined with fangs long as Harry's sword, thin, glittering, venomous —

It lunged blindly — Harry dodged and Alicia dived out of the way. The snake hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands —

Alicia watched fearful trying to think of something. She didn't know if hitting the snake with a direct spell would work, it was so large that the power output would need to be large. She didn't have enough in her for that. And if she hit it and turned it to her. Alicia turned to look at Ginny not too far from her.

The basilisk couldn't see what it was doing, what if it got Ginny accidentally in it's blind lunges…?

She turned back to Harry as the the basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true — Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth —

Alicia gasped and her hands are over her mouth she watched as the blood poured from the snake before it keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Alicia looked at Harry happily, bit he slid down the wall.

Immediately something was wrong and Alicia reached his side. In Harry's left arm, was a snake tooth. Alicia's eyes widened at it sticking out of Harry's flesh.

"Harry…" her voice shook with worry. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But Alicia could tell, by the look on his face, that it was too late.

"Harry!" Alicia called. His eyes were fluttering from the venom.

"Alicia…"

She thought, there was a charm that brought things to the surface which she'd used on the ink but what if it did it for Harry's blood and drained him? Or the venom just went back in? She had a charm to revive him from consciousness but what good was that if he died? She could clean the wound but the venom was already in his system. Alicia felt panic well up inside her as suddenly Fawkes flew past and landed beside them, his claws clattering softly on the floor.

"Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes…"

Fawkes laid his head on Harry's arm where the wound was as Alicia, for almost the first time since her first year, couldn't find a spell to help her, slumped and felt her eyes water at the thought of loosing the only family she had left and she didn't know what to do…

She could hear echoing footsteps and turned to see Riddle walking towards them and then standing, watching with a grin.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Your sister knows it. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Alicia looked down to see Riddle was right. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.

Instead of sadness at the sight… Alicia's eyes widened and suddenly her mind was racing again.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Alicia remembered when she and Harry were in Dumbledore's office the first time… she remembered Dumbledore talking about Fawkes.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry… She bought you twelve years of borrowed time… but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…"

Alicia was suddenly grinning and she rose to her feet.

"How wrong you are." she said, her voice strong but low.

"Oh?" Riddle asked grinning.

Alicia remembered. Phoenix' could carry immensely heavy loads but more importantly their tears held healing powers.

"I thought you said you were smart Riddle." Alicia said, her smile growing. "Don't you know anything about phoenixes?" she wondered. Riddle looked from Alicia and down to Harry's wound. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound — except that there _was_ no wound.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, _get away_ —"

Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.

"Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course… healing powers… I forgot…"

"What can a memory do now?" Alicia wondered. Riddle looked at her and the smug look was back. He looked into Harry's face.

"It makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…"

He raised the wand —

" _Expelliarmus!_ " Harry's wand flew threw the air and landed with a clatter a little ways off. Riddle looked at Alicia angrily.

"Don't forget me." she said slowly.

Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap — _the diary._

For a split second, Alicia, Harry and Riddle, stared at it. Then, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then —

He had gone. Alicia stared at where he had been surprised. Silence except for the steady _drip drip_ of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

Alicia looked around the entire chamber, but the only thing different from when they arrived, was the dead snake on the floor and the millions of flowers.

Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. Alicia moved to help him quickly.

"Are you alright?" she wondered

"My head's spinning as though I've just traveled miles by Floo powder." Harry admitted. Alicia chuckled

"I think Madam Pomfrey might have something for that if need be." she said. Harry looked at her and smiled before Alicia pulled him into a tight hug.

"God, don't do that to me again!" she demanded, her voice slightly muffled by Harry's ink and blood stained robes.

Harry hugged her back gladly and nodded ever so slightly. She smiled and pulled away from him before turning and moving to Ginny.

Harry began to gather together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth.

Alicia kneeled beside Ginny just as her eyes squeezed and a faint moan come from her throat. Alicia beamed and as Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, which he'd passed some of to Alicia in their hug, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Harry — oh, Harry —" she turned to Alicia who smiled "Alicia — oh, I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c- _couldn't_ say it in front of Percy — it was _me,_ Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — _how_ did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"

Ginny was cut off by Alicia bringing her into a hug too.

"It's all right," said Harry, from behind Alicia. Alicia released Ginny who looked confused and surprised.

"We already know." Alicia assured her, moving some of Ginny's flaming hair from her face "It's alright." Alicia turned to Harry who held up the diary, and showed Ginny the fang hole,

"Riddle's finished. Look! Him _and_ the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry and Alicia helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — _w-what'll Mum and Dad say_?"

"Ginny." Alicia said sternly "Harry and I are going to back you up no matter what. We're looking after you and you're not being expelled. Even Ron's on your side. It'll be alright, Dumbledore's probably the most trusting person ever and with the attacks over and the _real_ culprit caught, he should be back any time." Alicia smiled confidently.

Ginny looked at her.

"Have faith Ginny." Alicia smiled.

Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward as Alicia went first; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached their ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up.

"We're back!" Alicia called happily

"Ginny's okay! We've got her!" Harry said

They heard Ron give a strangled cheer, Alicia couldn't help but laugh and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizeable gap he had managed to make in the rockfall.

"Ron! Well done!" Alicia grinned at the hole. Of course his mind was somewhere else.

" _Ginny_!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How — what — where did that bird come from?"

Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Alicia who came through after Ginny.

"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself.

"How come you've got a _sword_?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

"That's Dumbledore's too… I think." Alicia muttered

"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.

"But —"

"Later," Harry said shortly. Alicia shot Ron a look and looked at Ginny with a sigh.

"Come on." Alicia agreed with Harry, it didn't seem a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all.

"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry. Alicia however looked amused.

Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron.

Ron shook his head, but Alicia smiled.

"I do." she admitted and the boys looked confused as Fawkes landed on Alicia's shoulder.

"Something about Phoenix's, they can carry immensely heavy loads." she pointed out.

Fawkes hovered before Alicia and waved his long golden tail feathers.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold…" said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there —"

Alicia only smiled and took a firm grip of the birds tail feathers, they were strangely hot and Alicia smiled at Harry.

"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He said looking from Fawkes to his sister who nodded. Harry turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart —"

"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand —"

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry took Alicia's hand.

An extraordinary lightness spread through Alicia's whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. They could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Alicia's hair, and she was more then happy for it.

And then, it was over — all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.

Myrtle goggled at them.

"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.

"Oh, well… I'd just been thinking…if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver. Alicia laughed.

"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown _fond_ of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face. Alicia took her hand comfortingly.

"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor.

"Follow the bird." Alicia decided with a shrug.

They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry knocked and pushed the door open.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

For a moment there was silence as Alicia, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry and Alicia's case) blood. Then there was a scream.

" _Ginny!_ "

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter, who Alicia released immediately.

Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Alicia and Harry found themselves and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.

"You saved her! You saved her! _How_ did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.

"Then you might want to take a seat." Alicia admitted glancing at Harry who nodded.

Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry and Alicia. Harry hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.

Then he and Alicia started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour they spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realised that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he, Alicia and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he and Alicia had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom… Alicia put in that that was Ron's thoughts, glancing at the Weasley parents.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on _earth_ did you all get out of there alive, Potter, Evans?"

It was Alicia who explained what had happened inside the cave, taking the moment Harry paused to her advantage. She told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving Harry the sword. She stopped a little getting to the end and glanced at Harry who understood her hesitation. Both looked at Ginny, she was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks.

Alicia sighed and looked from Ginny to the headmaster. Harry did the same. Dumbledore smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.

"What interests _me_ most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."

Alicia looked at him shocked

"You know where he is?!" she could help but blurt out, quickly covering her mouth after and giving and apologetic smile.

"W-what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. " _You- Know-Who_? En-enchant _Ginny_? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?"

"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen…" Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

"He said he'd preserved his sixteen-year-old self in it in hopes of opening the chamber again and 'continuing Slytherin's noble work'." Alicia mocked.

"Brilliant," Dumbledore said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered.

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school… traveled far and wide… sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognisable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — _him_?"

"His d-diary!" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year —"

" _Ginny_!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you _anything_? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can't see where it keeps its brain._ " Alicia grinned.

 _That's a genius saying._ she believed

"Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was _clearly_ full of Dark Magic —"

"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —"

Alicia's eyebrows furrowed

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed, rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice — I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.

"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good _feast._ Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Evans and Weasley, shall I?"

"Certainly," said Dumbledore.

She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore.

"Deal with us?" Alicia asked softly, looking worried. The two boys wore the same expression.

"I seem to remember telling you three that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore.

Ron opened his mouth in horror and Alicia rolled her lips.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. "You will all receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

Alicia had started laughing. They completely skipped the little accident with Lockhart in the dungeons. She covered her mouth and tried to stop.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart —"

"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"

"Actually you were." Alicia nodded with a sigh

"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.

"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver moustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."

Alicia was still trying not to laugh.

"I like this Lockhart." she said to Harry quietly  
"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Alicia and Harry…" Alicia's laughing stopped.

Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore, Alicia and Harry as he closed the door.

Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.

"Sit down, Harry, Alicia." he said, and both sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.

"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him. Alicia couldn't help but pet the bird.

"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was _most_ interested in you…"

"Alicia figured out who he was first." Harry admitted, nodding his head. Dumbledore looked at her

"My mind's done a lot of racing, I'm going to sleep well tonight." she smiled. She looked back at Harry to see a confused expression on his face.

"Professor Dumbledore… Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said… he said both of us —"

"But I'm sure he meant Harry more…" Alicia muttered with a nod.

" _Did_ he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm — I'm in _Gryffindor,_ I'm…"

"Harry," Alicia muttered "You don't seem all that certain?" she looked at him worried.

Harry sighed.

"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd — I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought _I_ was Slytherin's heir for a while… because I can speak Parseltongue…"

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort — who _is_ the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in _me_?" Harry said, thunderstruck.

"It certainly seems so."

"But what about Alicia?" Harry asked who also looked at Dumbledore confused

"Alicia received some of the backfire of the curse as well, but I believe you and her share a connection, much different to usual twins because of Voldemort's curse."

"So I can speak Parseltongue, because Harry can?" Alicia asked and Dumbledore nodded.

"Those scars give you a different kind of connection, something a lot stronger and much more powerful because of your mother's sacrifice." Alicia took a deep breath and dropped her gaze.

"So I _should_ be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it —"

"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules," he added, his moustache quivering again. "Even Alicia hear could qualify, as bright as she is amongst those talents. Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…"

" _Exactly,_ " said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you _very different_ from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at _this._ "

Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Alicia watched curiously as Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled _that_ out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.

Alicia eyed the sword and when Harry turned it the right way, she saw the words that were engraved just below the hilt.

 _Godric Gryffindor._

Alicia grinned.

For a minute, none of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.

"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep." Alicia let out a happy sigh at those words and Dumbledore smiled at her "I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban — we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the _Daily Prophet,_ too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher… Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?" Alicia chuckled as she stood up and looked at Harry, he stood also and both crossed to the door. They had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.

Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was a small little creature. It's eyes were the size to green tennis balls that Alicia noticed from the beginning of the year when she and Harry had seen them on their birthday in the hedge. It had huge bat like ears and was wearing a very dirty pillow case.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry and Alicia over as he swept into the room.

"What's that?" Alicia asked Harry quietly.

"Dobby!" Harry answered. Alicia looked at the house elf surprised. Dobby went scurrying in after Lucius, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.

The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoy's shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.

"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."

"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.

"So — have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.

" _Well_?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the centre, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Alicia noticed Lucius' eyes narrow slightly at the book before her eyes were caught by sudden movement. She saw Dobby.

The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.

"Still weird…" Harry muttered

"No…" Alicia muttered as her eyes darted. "Genius." she smiled at the elf.

"What?"

"Dobby's telling you that the diary belongs to Lucius!" Alicia said. Harry looked at Mr Malfoy, to the house elf and then to the diary. He looked at Alicia surprised who nodded.

She gave Dobby the thumbs up so that he'd stop hitting himself, but instead he backed into the corner and began to twist his ears.

"I see…" said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.

"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry and Alicia here" — Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look while Alicia grinned knowingly at him — "and their friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"

Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.

"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing Muggle-borns… Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…"

Alicia looked at Harry who's face was hard and he nodded, now agreeing with what Alicia assumed the elf was insinuating.

Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak.  
"Very fortunate," he said stiffly.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry.

Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.

"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.

"Because you gave it to her," said Alicia.

"In Flourish and Blotts." Harry added "You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.

"Prove it," he hissed.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Alicia and Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…"

"Maybe they'd search your house again. This time finding that chamber in your own house I heard about." Alicia said very carefree.

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, glaring at Alicia and Harry but also looking surprised. He then suddenly turned to his house-elf.

"We're going, Dobby!"

He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor. Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then he suddenly looked at Alicia who raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary _back_ to Mr. Malfoy, please?"

"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…"

"Thank you Professor." Alicia smiled as Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office.

"What are you thinking now?" she questioned. They could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner.

"Dobby's free if Mr Malfoy hand's him clothes." Harry said

"So?" Alicia said. Harry held up the book.

"That's a book Harry, not clothes." She watched as Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Her eyes widened as she grinned before the two ran down the dark corridor.

They caught up with them at the top of the stairs.

"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you —"

And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand.

"What the — ?"

Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry.

"You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too."

"And yet we're the ones standing on top." Alicia smiled to Harry.

Lucius turned to go without a word.

"Come, Dobby. I said, _come._ "

But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.

"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"

"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is _free._ "

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf. Then he lunged at Harry, Alicia quickly stepping in front.

"You've lost me my servant, boy!"

But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"

There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward.

He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below. Alicia gapped in surprised as he got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.

"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now."

Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry who smiled at Alicia as she stepped aside out of his way. Moonlight from the nearest window reflected in Dobby's orb-like eyes as he stared with gratitude. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"

"Least I could do, Dobby," said Harry, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again."

"Yeah, please." Alicia nodded

The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.

"I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well —"

"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"

"Right," said Harry weakly.

"Dobby, we didn't know that." Alicia said with a sigh, her hands on her hips "That's a terrible clue if you don't mind me saying." Dobby looked guilty and Alicia sighed before smiling. She crouched down to Dobby's eye level.

"Thank you for trying to save Harry though." she smiled "I will be forever grateful to you." she held her hand out and Dobby beamed before taking it and Alicia shook it.

She smiled again before she stood back up.

"Well, we'd better go. There's a feast, and our friend Hermione should be awake by now…"

Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him.

"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew! And Alicia Evans, you are just as kind as Harry Potter." he sobbed. Alicia smiled

"We are somewhat alike." she admitted looking at Harry. Dobby smiled at the two of them.

"Farewell, Harry Potter! Alicia Evans!"

And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.

Alicia chuckled.

"How many fans does that make this year?" she wondered "Collin, Ginny, Myrtle and Dobby. I'd say that's more then enough for a club." she laughed

"Shut up."

* * *

It seemed like every end of year feast, or every feast in general kept getting better. Never so far had Alicia been to a feast like this one. Everybody was in their pyjamas, and the celebration lasted all night.

As soon as she saw her, Alicia was out of her chair and had the bushy brown hair of Hermione in her face as she hugged her. Hermione had then proceeded to Ron and Harry, Alicia's hand in her's screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" and then Justin had hurried over from the Hufflepuff table to wring Harry's hand and apologise endlessly for suspecting him. And then Hagrid turned up at half past three, cuffing Harry, Alicia and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle. And then, to top it all off, Alicia, Harry and Ron's six hundred points had gotten Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running. Professor McGonagall then stood up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, _no_!" said Hermione).

Alicia laughed her head off when Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."

* * *

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defence Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it. But Alicia was still the best at spells.

They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.

"Ginny — what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a _girlfriend._ " Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head.

" _What_?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them _kissing_ in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.

"Yeah bloody right, you don't tease him and I'll never forgive you!" Alicia grinned laughing

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.

"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay?"

"The Dursley's will kill you for letting 'our lot' ring their phone." Alicia snickered

"Well, I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…"

"Oi!" Alicia snapped and Harry grinned at her, for which Alicia shoved him annoyed.

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"

Alicia was laughing at the word 'proud'.

"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…"

"I wonder how Dudley will react to Harry fighting off a giant, deadly stare-giving snake?" Alicia grinned "I need something to terrorise him with now he knows we can't do magic."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Fred patted her shoulder as though encouraging a student.

"Better hope so." she nodded in agreement.

And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **I'll post number three when I finish number four, but that might not be for about three weeks as I have two exams to complete first.**

 **Sorry if there are a heap of mistakes, tell me about them so I can fix them please.**

 **Till next time**

 **xx**


	18. Author's Note

**Hey all,**

 **Thanks for reading my story.**

 **The third in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, is now up under the name _An Unbreakable Bond Grows._**

 **Hope you like it**

 **xx**


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